


I'm Yours (Mind, Body and Soul)

by EmceeMC



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Body Worship, But She's Kind of a Power Bottom, Consensual Mind Control, Consensual Non-Consent, F/F, Heavy Angst, Major Ruins of the Empire Spoilers, Mind Control, Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery, Mind Manipulation, My First Smut, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Post-Ruins Of The Empire, Posting as I write, Read the Graphic Novels, Romantic Kink, Slow Burn, Some Switching in Later Chapters, Spanking, Sub!Asami, They're Really Good I Promise, then come back
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:14:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 50,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24519028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmceeMC/pseuds/EmceeMC
Summary: It’s been three months since General Guan’s defeat at the hands of Avatar Korra and her friends. Life has returned to about as normal as it ever is in Republic City. But something has been on Asami’s mind ever since she was brainwashed by Doctor Sheng, and she’s finally ready to talk to her girlfriend about it.
Relationships: Korra/Asami Sato
Comments: 111
Kudos: 448





	1. Nightmares and Wet Dreams

_Asami Sato was a prisoner. She was bound in iron, with a metal cage locked around her head. Electrodes were attached to her skull and she could feel them throbbing against her temples as the magnetic waves were pushed through them. There was noise, a deep, nauseating noise that she could feel in her chest. It felt like she had been here for hours. It was pointless, what they were trying to do. They wanted to free her._ _  
__  
__They didn’t understand that she had never been more free._

_Standing over her were the two people Asami hated more than anyone else in the world. The taller of the two women was Kuvira. The traitor. She had betrayed Guan._

I am loyal only to Commander Guan.  
  
 _The thought was compliant. She was obeying. Obedience was rewarded. She felt so good when she was compliant. She felt more than good. She felt_ complete. _Nothing in the world could have been more satisfying._ _  
__  
__The other woman was Korra. The woman she had loved._

 _The woman she still-_ _  
__  
_The Avatar is no longer my friend.  
  
Korra is my enemy.  
  
 _She didn’t love Korra. She hated her. Even if a part of her, a deep, traitorous part of her ached desperately at that thought, compliance was better. Obedience was a pleasure so pure and complete that it eclipsed the desire to even_ want _to deviate. It didn’t matter that her heart was breaking, because the rest of her was so_ satisfied. _She was compliant. She should think compliant thoughts._ _  
__  
__“You will no longer obey Commander Guan’s orders.” The traitor’s voice was ringing in her ears now, but her words were nonsense. She might as well have been asking her not to breathe or to make her heart stop beating. “The Avatar is no longer your enemy. Your mind is yours again.” She sought to free Asami. How could she free her? Asami was freer than she had ever been in her entire life. Free from doubt. Free from worry. Almost free from pain. Free from the constant, pathetic struggle to find purpose. All she had to do was comply. All she needed to think was what she was told to think. What greater freedom could there be? She_ had _purpose. She had true, unquestioned purpose._ _  
__  
__These thoughts were compliant and so they were rewarded. Pleasure beyond imagining. Pleasure beyond anything as simple and meaningless as a favorite meal, or a cherished memory, or a lover’s embrace. Pleasure so whole and all-consuming that nothing could ever compare. Why did they want to take that from her? Why did they think she would let them?_

 _They were watching her. There were tears in Korra’s eyes. She wanted_ her _Asami back. The old Asami. The one who didn’t exist anymore. The one who wanted to tell Korra she was still here and loved her-_

 _Pain blinded her. That thought had not been compliant. She gritted her teeth.  
_ _  
__“I am loyal only to Commander Guan,” she said, and her compliance washed away the stain of her incorrect thoughts. She was serving her purpose again, and it felt wonderful._ _  
__  
_Korra is my enemy. _  
__  
__Korra would be gone eventually. They would take Asami back to the prison cell they were keeping her in. Once she couldn’t see the tears in those beautiful blue eyes, it would be easier to be compliant.  
  
Obedient. _

_Complete._ _  
__  
__“I am loyal only to Commander Guan,” she said again, and saying those words made her body sing with the pleasure of obedience. Kuvira frowned. The traitor didn’t like to hear her say that._

_Good._

_“I am loyal only to Commander Guan,” she said again, defiantly, and she could see tears falling freely from the Avatar’s face. Asami was pleased to find that thinking of her as the Avatar rather than Korra made it easier to think complaint thoughts. Easier to obey.  
  
_ Korra is my enemy. _  
__  
__“I am loyal only to Commander Guan!” Her heart was beating faster. She felt so good. She felt whole. Complete. Purpose. Truth. These things thundered in her head. She would not be taken back! She would not be shackled by her free will again! She glared at the Avatar. “The Avatar is no longer my friend!” she shouted. “Korra is my enemy! I am loyal only to Commander Guan!”_

 _The Avatar began to sob and Kuvira put an arm around her, pulling her a little ways away. The traitor was talking to her, whispering to her. Asami strained against the restraints binding her. She needed to attack the Avatar! She was her enemy! She needed to comply! Only compliance would bring the perfect pleasure, the rich fulfillment of_ PURPOSE! _It would feel incredible...if only...she could...get...free..._ _  
_  
“Asami!”  
  
Korra’s voice cut through the nightmare and Asami’s eyes flew open as she woke with a gasp. She was sweating profusely, her long dark hair sticking to her face and neck. The sheets and blankets that had covered her were a tangled mess, restraining her arms in a way that was horribly reminiscent of the nightmare. She struggled to free them instinctively. That’s when she felt a strong pair of hands grab hold of her and the Avatar’s face appeared above her.  
  
 _Not the Avatar. Korra. Your girlfriend. You are Asami Sato. Your mind is your own._  
  
The nightmare that wasn’t really a nightmare began to fade as tears came to Asami’s eyes. “Korra,” she said, and her girlfriend smiled back at her.  
  
“I’m here,” she said. “I’ve got you.” She carefully began to unwind her from the mess of sheets. She was covered in cold sweat, and she was trembling all over. The nightmares had been getting worse lately. The nightmares that were her memories, twisted and corrupted by Doctor Sheng and her terrible machine. It had been three months since she’d been brainwashed. Three months since Commander Guan and his pet psychopath tried to make her into a weapon against the woman she loved most in the world. It made Asami’s stomach churn to think about it.  
  
The cool air of their bedroom felt good as Korra finally freed her from the sheets. She slid her arms around Asami and drew her to her chest, holding her gently, but firmly. Asami clung to Korra, digging her fingers into the muscles of her arms, resting her face in the hollow of her neck where she could breathe in the scent of her. Where she could let herself be completely consumed by _Korra_ and let the nightmare fade away. Part of her wanted to ask if she’d been talking in her sleep again. The other part of her didn’t want to know. She didn’t like to think of Korra waking up in their bedroom, a place they were supposed to share together, to Asami whispering those horrible mantras Doctor Sheng had given her. The mantras that had become her thoughts. The mantras that had twisted her mind.  
  
She felt heat rising within her as she remembered the mantras. Remembered how they made her feel. How good it had been when she _obeyed_ . Her stomach twisted in revulsion, but it didn’t stop the heat the memories brought to her. The slowly smouldering fire deep in her core that threatened to burst into a towering inferno if she thought too hard about the nightmare. Shame welled inside of her, and Asami choked back a sob as she clung even tighter to her girlfriend.  
  
Korra responded by tightening her grip in return. She was so strong. Physically, yes, but that was almost the least of it. She carried the weight of nations on her shoulders. Her actions had shaped the destiny of mankind. They would do so again, Asami had no doubt. She was a force of nature. The guardian of the world. The _Avatar_. 

And yet, despite all of that strength, she was never anything but gentle with Asami. Korra could never hurt her, _would_ never hurt her. WIth her, she was just Korra. A beautiful, kind-hearted, wild-spirited _girl_ who for some reason loved her with all of her heart.  
  
 _I don’t deserve her.  
  
_ She felt Korra begin to stroke her hair, and that brought the tears in earnest. Korra soothed her as she cried. “It’s okay,” she whispered again and again. “I’m here. I love you.”  
  
Asami couldn’t respond, but she nodded into her, knowing that Korra would understand. They stayed like that until Asami had cried herself out. It was cleansing. Calming. She relaxed her grip on Korra’s arm and felt her girlfriend relax a little in response.  
  
“Better?” she asked.  
  
“A little,” Asami said, dabbing at her eyes with the collar of her nightshirt. “I’m sorry.”  
  
“Don’t be. You have nothing to apologize for.” The sincerity in her voice brought tears back to Asami’s eyes, though she forced them back with an effort of will. How could she say that? How could she believe it? Asami had attacked Korra, she’d wanted to hurt her. She’d wanted to obey. She’d told Korra all of this, half a dozen times at least. Korra had weathered her anger, her self-loathing, her guilt. And in return, she had given Asami nothing but love and forgiveness.  
  
So instead of saying any of it again, instead of making her endure another deluge of tears and self-pity, Asami lifted herself slightly and kissed her. She tried desperately to put all of the regrets and apologies Korra wouldn’t accept into the single gesture. She felt Korra’s arms slide around her neck and draw her deeper, and smouldering lust the nightmare had left inside of her burst into a beautiful, uncontrollable flame. Asami parted Korra’s lips with her tongue as she deepened the kiss, arms sliding under Korra’s sleeping shirt to trace the definition of the muscles just beneath her smooth skin.  
  
But then Korra was pushing her away. Gently, but firmly. She was so strong. Asami yielded, breaking the kiss and meeting her girlfriend’s gaze. “Asami, you don’t have to,” Korra said quietly. “You don’t have anything to prove.”

 _If only she knew._  
  
“Please,” Asami said. “Please Korra…”  
  
Over the years she had known her, Korra had grown from the hot-blooded, impulsive teenager she’d met into a kind, gentle, and patient young woman. But the wildness inside her had never quite faded completely, and when Asami’s lips found the pulse in her throat and began to suck gently on the skin there, she felt Korra groan and her resistance crumble. Her hands were under Asami’s night shirt, lifting it over her head. She let her, the cool evening air caressing her pale breasts, raising goosebumps over her skin as her nipples stiffened. Korra’s eyes were drawn to them, and in a moment, Asami was on her back. Another moment, and she could feel Korra’s lips and hot breath on her chest. Asami gasped as Korra tugged one nipple between her teeth in a way that was sharp and sweet and _amazing_ . Korra’s hands were dragging slowly across her bare skin, delighting in the feel of it, the smoothness of her. Korra touched her with _reverence_ . She touched her in a way that made her feel beautiful.   
  
“Korra,” she said, the word a blessing on her lips. Her girlfriend answered her by sliding her thigh between her legs. They were both clothed still from the waist down, but Asami was too hot to care. She wanted friction. She wanted release. She felt Korra moving against her and she let out a soft moan that only seemed to encourage her. Korra’s lips trailed kisses up to her neck and down to her chest again. Her teeth would tug at Asami’s pale skin before her tongue and lips soothed the little angry marks she left behind. It was delicious agony, and Asami gratefully lost herself in Korra’s attentions. She spread her legs and moaned again, but this one was captured by Korra’s lips as she kissed her. She was getting closer now. She was so _easy_ . Korra could play her like an instrument.  
  
Korra’s thigh disappeared and Asami had a moment to whimper before she felt Korra’s hand slip beneath the waistband of her shorts and underwear. Then Korra was inside her, and nothing else in the world mattered. Nothing compared to the way her girlfriend’s fingers felt as they filled her. They _curled_ and then Korra was rubbing her _there_ , right where Asami was weakest. She arched her back, pressing Korra deeper into her, groaning for her. She dug her nails into Korra’s arm, her mouth open in a wordless scream. She was hers. She was Korra’s. She belonged to her.  
  
Her whole body shook as her orgasm washed over her, waves of pleasure radiating from her core as Korra held her and kissed her neck. She shivered as she floated down from the heights of her pleasure, the smell of sweat and sex heavy in the bedroom now. Asami couldn’t even bring herself to be embarrassed by that. She groaned as Korra slid out from between her legs. She rolled onto her back and Asami allowed herself to be pulled on top of her, Korra cradling her against her chest.

As the pleasure faded, exhaustion bled in around the edges of her mind. But that wasn’t right, it wasn’t fair. She kissed Korra’s throat and she hummed in a way that tickled Asami’s lips, but before she could take it further, Korra had her chin in her fingers and was bringing Asami’s lips to hers. She kissed her, tenderly, sweetly, then met her gaze. Her eyes were so blue. Blue like the sky. Blue like the purest ocean.  
  
“It’s okay,” she said softly, drawing Asami back to her chest, rubbing her hands over her bare back. “You need sleep.”  
  
Part of Asami was grateful, always grateful, that Korra took such good care of her. She let her head rest against her chest, trying to feel only that gratitude and none of the guilt or shame that was replacing the thrill of their passion. She hated how the nightmares made her feel. She hated the helplessness of it. The memory of that poisonous pleasure, that sense of _purpose_ that had been everything to her. She wished she could bring herself to tell Korra. She didn’t deserve to feel good. She owed her girlfriend _everything_. And she wouldn’t even let her reciprocate. 

_She doesn’t understand. She should hate me for how I feel. The part of me that wants it back…_  
  
Asami shut her eyes, but tears wouldn’t come anymore. She was too tired. She was too warm in Korra’s arms. Her girlfriend’s breathing was slowing beneath her. She could feel the rise and fall of her chest. Hear her heart beating.  
  
 _I’d be nothing without her. Just a slave to some tyrant. I owe Korra everything._

And yet, she knew she would never feel as good with Korra as she had as some madman’s weapon of war. A mindless puppet meant to destroy the love of her life. It made her sick. It made her feel violated. It made her feel filthy.  
  
And it made her feel so. Fucking. Hot.  
  
With a huge effort of will, she forced all of those thoughts away. She let herself be lulled to sleep by Korra’s breathing. By her slow, steady heartbeat. She let herself drift into the blessed blackness of the exhaustion that she knew would overtake her in moments.  
  
Then, a thought occurred to Asami. It wasn’t a fully constructed thought - one of those wild, strange impulses that one gets when nearly asleep. A fleeting moment, more like a dream than a true idea. But something about it stuck in Asami’s mind, and even after she surrendered to the sleep that was creeping up around her, she began to work out a way to make it reality.  
  


* * *

  
A horn blared as Naga rounded a corner a little too quickly. The massive polar bear dog threw herself and her rider into the air, clearing the oncoming car with ease, hitting the ground with a grunt and continuing her run without losing speed or momentum. Korra waved apologetically back to the car, which had managed not to swerve off the road, and its driver who was shaking his fist at her through his rear view mirror.  
  
“Calm down, girl, we don’t want to make Beifong give us a ticket for reckless endangerment. Again.” Naga’s long strides slowed slightly at Korra’s insistence, but she kept a steady beat for home nonetheless. Ever since moving off of Air Temple Island, Korra had had to find time to walk Naga regularly. She didn’t have nearly the space in her and Asami’s new place as she had on the Island, and while she’d often visit by ferry and let Naga run about to her heart’s content, business in the city had kept her home more often than not the last few weeks. She rubbed Naga’s flank as she loped past the last of the crowded buildings, leaving behind some of the noise of Republic City as they passed into one of the neighborhoods at the edge of the Spirit Wilds.  
  
It was hard to imagine the time when this place had been turned to rubble by the spirit vines summoned by her uncle Unalaq during their confrontation over four years ago. Back then, it had seemed like the places where the vines had spread were simply not meant to be inhabited by humans anymore. That they were reclaimed, serving as a division between the humans and spirits of Republic City. But years of acclimation, a uniting threat or two, and great strides made by President Moon had turned some of the areas at the edges of the Spirit Wilds into new neighborhoods - quieter than the bustling residential districts in Republic City proper, and yet not quite as alien as the deepest parts of the Spirit Wilds.  
  
It was in one such neighborhood that Asami and Korra had bought their house together. They had lived for a time in the Sato family estate, but Korra had noticed how unhappy the place made Asami. It was full of ghosts for her. Her mother had died when Asami was very young. And her father, Hiroshi...well, Asami had lost him twice. Once when he betrayed her and sided with Amon and his equalists, and again during the Day of the Colossus, when he’d sacrificed himself to save them all.  
  
When Korra had suggested the move as a way of convincing the people of Republic City that the new neighborhoods would be safe places to live, Asami had been thrilled. She’d even insisted on drawing up designs for the home herself. It wasn’t as lavish as her family’s estate, but it didn’t need to be. Korra realized that the two of them had very different experiences growing up, but it was hard to imagine ever needing even as much space as their three story house had. Four if you counted Asami’s workshop in the basement.  
  
Naga slowed to a trot as she rounded the block and came to their house. It occupied one of the larger plots in the neighborhood - with a large wall that ran the perimeter, and a wrought-iron gate that led into the courtyard. In the center of it, a marble fountain bubbled pleasantly, setting the ambiance for the well-curated gardens Asami had spent a great deal of time and money on. The flowers, she’d said, were all native to the Fire Nation where her parents were from. She said it reminded her of trips they’d taken there when she was very young.  
  
The yard was just like Asami. Beautiful, impeccably well detailed, and incredibly functional. The walls, gate and fountain would all give Korra plenty of material to bend with in the event that someone attacked them - a very real possibility given how many enemies the pair of them had made through the years. Korra smiled as she gestured and opened the gate with her metalbending, allowing her and Naga to pass through. She waved a hand and the gate crashed closed behind them, locking in place. She would never get over her girlfriend’s brilliance. It was humbling - no matter how skilled Korra ever was at bending, or how powerful she was as the Avatar, she would never match Asami in how she applied her mind.

_And speaking of Asami…_

Her car was parked by the fountain. It didn’t look as if it had moved from where it had been parked that morning. Korra frowned. Asami had been spending comparatively little time at Future Industries over the last three weeks. And if she hadn’t left today, then this would be her fourth consecutive day at home. When Korra had asked her about it, Asami had only said she was working on a “special project” in the workshop and that she didn’t have to worry.  
  
Unfortunately, Korra had never been good at not worrying. She loved Asami with all her heart. And she trusted her, probably more than she trusted anyone. But that hadn’t kept her from pressing for more information. All Asami had said was that she would show Korra in time, and she’d begged her not to look at it before it was done. She had looked so scared and vulnerable that Korra had had little choice but to promise to stay out of the workshop.  
  
She slid off of Naga’s back and unsaddled her. Naga accepted a few scratches behind her ears before bounding over to the fountain to take a long drink. Korra glanced once more at Asami’s car before heading inside and towards the kitchen to get food for Naga and herself.  
  
She was rummaging through the fridge, looking for something easy to heat up when she felt slender arms wrap around her waist. “Hey you,” Asami said, hugging her from behind.  
  
Korra turned to face her, beaming. “Hey yourself! I thought you’d be in the workshop until late again.”  
  
Asami flushed. She was dressed in working clothes - a pair of overalls that were stained with grease and other fluids over an otherwise standard Asami cute-but-incredibly-functional outfit. Her hair was pulled back into a tight braid to keep it out of her eyes and she had a pair of goggles around her neck. It was downright unfair how feminine Asami could look having just spent a whole day welding and tinkering and whatever else she was doing down there.  
  
“I was, until about a quarter of an hour ago,” she admitted. There was something odd about the way Asami was looking at Korra. She was concealing a grin, but something in her eyes was almost...guilty? Apprehensive? A little bit of both? “I, well, I finished my project.”  
  
Korra raised her eyebrows. “You did? That’s great! Does that mean I finally get to be in on the big secret?”  
  
Asami’s blush seemed to deepen, and suddenly she was looking down and away from Korra. But she nodded nonetheless. “It does. And...I kind of want to show you now if that’s okay. Before I chicken out.”  
  
Korra frowned, but nodded. What had gotten into Asami today? But before she could ask if she was feeling okay, Asami took Korra’s hand and pulled her towards the door that led down into her workshop. The room itself was a long, low chamber. Shelves covered every inch of the walls, and each of them was overflowing with parts, tools, plans, blueprints, materials and spirits only knew what else. Ordinarily, half a dozen work tables of various sizes would be spread out, each containing more pieces of what must have been vital components, more tools and specific plans for the dozen or so projects Asami usually had going at once. Today, however, all the tables had been shoved to one side of the room and cleared of their usual detritus. The other side of the room had been given over to a horrifyingly familiar looking machine. Korra’s heart lurched in her chest as she saw it, then her eyes fell on the chair that had been erected next to it. The smallest worktable had been moved beside the chair and sitting on it was a helmet, connected to the console with a series of wires and electrodes.  
  
It was an exact replica of the brainwashing machine Doctor Sheng had built for Commander Guan. 

Korra took a step back, but she felt Asami’s hand tighten around hers, keeping her from going too far. Korra looked from the machine to Asami and back again.  
  
“Asami...you...did you build this?”  
  
“It’s not what you think,” Asami said quickly. “Korra, please, I need you to listen to me.”  
  
Korra’s mind was reeling. She blinked a few times. What was going on? This machine had haunted Asami for _months_ . Korra knew she still had nightmares about it, what it had done to her. She had had her own share of them. Being chased by Asami, her strangely empty eyes focused on her with hatred. Asami vowing to destroy her, telling her she’d never truly loved her. Asami struggling against her restraints, fury and _violence_ in her voice as she’d repeated Commander Guan’s words. She hadn’t told Asami about the nightmares. She hadn’t wanted to scare her. But each one was a dagger to Korra’s heart.  
  
She looked at Asami again. She was biting her lip, tears glistening in the corner of her jewel green eyes. Asami didn’t hate her. She’d never hated her. She loved her. She trusted her. And Korra trusted her, too. She needed to hear her out. Korra took a deep breath.  
  
“Okay,” she said, her voice a little terse. “I’ll listen. But you have to answer me first. Did you build this?”  
  
Asami looked away, her hand slipping from Korra’s now that it seemed like she wasn’t going to run. She nodded, staring resolutely at Korra’s boots.  
  
“Why?” Korra asked. “Why recreate it? Asami, this machine is...I mean, it’s evil Asami! You know better than anybody that it deserved to be destroyed!”

Asami met her gaze again, and this time there was a hardness there beneath the guilt. “That’s not how ideas work, Korra. You can’t destroy an idea. The world knows what Sheng created. It’s out there, and if she could do it, somebody can figure out how to recreate it. I did. Granted, I’d seen the device up close and I am probably a little more skilled at this than most people -” even given the surrealness of the situation, Korra had to snort at her girlfriend’s characteristic modesty - “but that doesn’t mean that someone won’t, with enough time and motivation, create this technology for themselves.”  
  
Korra shook her head. “That doesn’t mean you have to make it easier for them!”  
  
“I didn’t make it easier for anybody.” Asami crossed her arms over her chest, looking away again. “I included a failsafe. The machine can’t be powered on unless you enter a passcode on the number pad I added. It’s a sixteen digit code that only I’ve memorized. Tampering with the machine at all - even just opening the access panels - will cause the internal mechanisms to combust, keeping anyone from taking it apart to learn about it.”  
  
Korra blinked. That was...very thorough. “Okay...so you’ve made a device that only you can use. But spirits, Asami, why would you even _want_ that? You can’t honestly believe I’d ever be okay with you using it on somebody, no matter how bad they were!”  
  
Asami swallowed, and the blush returned to her face. “I didn’t build this so that I could use it, Korra. I built it...well, I built it for you. So you could use it.”  
  
Korra was speechless. She opened her mouth but Asami was shaking her head.  
  
“No! Not on your enemies. Not to make anybody a weapon, nothing like that!”  
  
“Then why? On who if not an enemy?”  
  
Asami turned, staring at the machine. Her fingers dug into her arms. Korra could tell she was stealing herself for something.  
  
“There’s only one person I intend for you to use this machine on, Korra,” she said, turning to face her girlfriend, her face glowing red.  
  
“Me.”  
  
  



	2. The Failsafe

Whatever it was that Korra had expected Asami to say, it clearly wasn’t that. Asami wanted to explain herself, but the thunderstruck look on Korra’s face made her reconsider. She could feel tears at the corner of her eyes again and she forced herself not to start crying. She _had_ to make Korra understand. She had to make her see.   
  
She had to convince her to do it.   
  
“Use it...on you?” she finally said. Asami swallowed past a lump in her throat.   
  
“Yes.”   
  
“But...why? Asami, why?”   
  
_Because it was the most intense, profound thing I’ve ever experienced, and I want to experience it again with you. Because I love you. Because I trust you._

“Because I’m a liability,” Asami said. “Think about it. It’s getting to be pretty common knowledge that I’m the Avatar’s girlfriend. And I’m okay with that!” she said quickly when Korra furrowed her eyebrows and opened her mouth to say something. Asami closed the distance between them and took Korra’s hands in hers, looking down into her eyes. “I love you, Korra. And no amount of threats against my life will do anything to change that.  
  
“But it also won’t change the reality of the situation. I’m a weakness that can be exploited. We weren’t even dating for a week before Tokuga used me as a hostage against you. And what Guan did…” Asami shuddered, trailing off. She tried to look away but felt Korra’s hand on her cheek, guiding her back to her blue eyes, blazing with emotion.   
  
“That wasn’t your fault Asami. How many times do I have to tell you?”   
  
“But that’s what _I’ve_ been trying to tell _you_ !” Asami said, pulling away from Korra and pacing towards the machine. “It doesn’t matter that it isn’t my fault! It isn’t anybody’s fault! But it will keep happening. I’m not like you. I’m not the Avatar like you, or a bending master like Lin or Tenzin, or even as skilled as Mako or Bolin! I’m okay at self-defense and I know how to handle a taser gauntlet and that’s not always going to be enough! It’s already not enough.”   
  
She felt Korra step up behind her. Felt her hand on her shoulder. “You once said that no matter what we were up against, we could handle it as long as we faced it together.” There was a note of pain in her voice that made Asami’s heart ache.   
  
“And I meant it,” she said, turning back to look at Korra. “I swear I did. This machine will help.”   
  
Korra didn’t look convinced. “I don’t see how making you into some...mindless puppet is going to help at all Asami.”   
  
She wasn’t refusing. She wasn’t metalbending the machine into twisted slag. Asami took that as a good sign. She wasn’t necessarily asking a question, either, but her statement left a crack in the door for an explanation, and Asami took it eagerly.   
  
“You won’t have to! Not the way Guan did. I’ve been running some numbers and comparing readings from this machine to ones that Baatar Jr. took when he was trying to undo Guan’s control on me.”   
  
Korra narrowed her eyes. “And how did you get Baatar’s notes?”   
  
“I radioed Su a couple of weeks ago. I told her I was working on writing up a step-by-step process on how to undo this kind of control in case it ever came up again in the future.”   
  
Korra raised an eyebrow. “And Su bought that?”

“I told you Korra, an idea can’t be destroyed. This kind of thing can, and probably will, come back around. We need to be ready for it when it does.”  
  
“That still doesn’t explain how brainwashing you will do anyone any good.” 

“Well," Asami said, getting back on track, "there are degrees of control you can have over someone using this machine. From what I can tell by Baatar Jr.’s notes, Guan really laid it on thick. He didn’t want to risk anyone disobeying him, so he broke down a person’s mind completely, bending every thought of theirs around a series of mantras that dictated their behavior."  
  
 _I am loyal only to Commander Guan. The Avatar is no longer my friend. Korra is my enemy._ The ghost of the pleasure of obedience ran down Asami’s spine and for a bare, fleeting moment, she felt an urge to reach out and attack Korra -   
  
But the sensation vanished as soon as it came. There would be no pleasure from doing so. Only pain and self-loathing. Her mind was her own.   
  
She needed to serve a new Master. She needed to feel that same pleasure in a way that wasn’t warped against the girl she loved most in the world. Maybe if she could turn the memory of those sensations to something pleasant...well, maybe she could finally get over this.   
  
“If...if you used it on me, you wouldn’t have to use it the same way Guan did. I could show you how to adjust the settings. Something that would allow you to affect my behavior without totally overriding my personality.” _Just a taste. Just enough to keep me from yearning for it._   
  
Korra had crossed her arms and was frowning, eyes hard. “There’s still a point to this you’re not telling me. Why would I even _want_ to do this in the first place?”

Asami wanted to scream in frustration. She wanted Korra to throw her down on one of her tables and reach between her legs and feel just how _ready_ she was at the mere _thought_ of being in that machine again. _That won’t help_ , she thought, steadying herself. _She can’t know that. Not yet. Be patient._   
  
Asami pursed her lips, pushing aside her own ulterior motives. “Okay, stay with me here. In its simplest form, the human mind is like a very complex machine. This device adjusts a person’s mind like an engineer might tinker with a car or a mech. You can adjust any number of components to make it behave in certain ways. Change just a few internal components or re-wire a switch, and suddenly a lever on a mech that did one thing, suddenly does another.”   
  
Korra narrowed her eyes, clearly not seeing where this was going. But she was still listening and Asami was grateful for that. “With you so far.” 

“Well, imagine something like the failsafe I put onto this machine. Somebody goes in there and starts messing around with things, it triggers the switch that destroys it.  
  
“What Guan did was completely rewire me…” Asami paused as she pushed down another wave of memories. “H-he restructured my mind from the ground up. What you could do, what I believe is possible with a...subtler touch, is to make a failsafe for me. Obviously not something destructive like on this machine, but a part of me that, if it sensed something was different or that my ‘machine’ wasn’t functioning properly, would be able to warn you ahead of time.”

  
Finally, _finally_ a hint of understanding dawned in Korra’s eyes. Asami felt the knots in her stomach ease ever so slightly.   
  
“Okay,” she said, slowly. “I suppose I can see how that would be useful. But it wasn’t exactly like it was hard to spot that something was up last time Asami. I mean, the fact that you were wearing an Earth Empire uniform helped.” Korra didn’t mention that she’d also attacked her with her taser gauntlet, and for that Asami was profoundly grateful as well.   
  
“Guan was a brute,” Asami said. “He was passingly clever at politics, but he used me wrong.” Korra’s eyes shot up at that and Asami felt herself blush deeply. “I _mean_ that if he had been cleverer, he would have had me act normally. He would have had me come to you saying I had escaped, knowing that you would trust me. He would have had me attack you in your sleep and incapacitate you that way.”   
  
A deeply troubled look crossed Korra’s face. It was clear she had never considered that. Lucky her. It was all Asami could think about sometimes. _How easy it would have been if he had only given me the right orders?_ she thought. But at least Korra was starting to come around. Asami felt another sharp stab of guilt at the manipulation - but everything she was saying _was_ technically true. And these _were_ things she’d thought about, problems she’d tried to tackle as a way of coping with what had happened to her.   
  
It just wasn’t the _primary_ reason she wanted this.   
  
“Let’s be fair Korra; in a straight fight, I could never take you. I don’t even think I’d fare that well if you didn’t use bending. So having a way to give you a heads up, even, or maybe especially, if I don’t know what I was doing, would be all it would take to nullify me as a threat.” She was speaking very matter-of-factly now, disassociating herself with the actual reality of what she was saying. It was just another thought experiment, another problem for her to solve. Not the horrifying reality she had been forced to live.   
  
_The reality part of me wants to return to._

But Korra clearly wasn’t able to disassociate the same way. Suddenly Korra was much closer to her, grasping her hands tightly, staring at her with a blazing determination. “You can’t think like that Asami! I’m never going to let that happen to you again.”  
  
Asami’s heart swelled at Korra’s protective instincts, but she shook her head slowly. “You can’t always protect me Korra. I’m just one person. You’re the Avatar. You have a responsibility to the whole world.”   
  
“You are my world,” Korra said, defiantly.

“And you’re mine,” Asami said, bringing Korra’s hand to her lips, kissing it softly. “So please, let me help protect it. Even in just this little way. Even if this never comes up again, and we live our whole lives without anyone ever recreating this machine, I’ll feel better knowing that I can’t be used to hurt you.”  
  
Korra held her gaze, looking up at her, searching her expression. After a long moment, she let Asami’s hands slip from hers and turned away. “I...I just don’t know Asami. Can I have some time to think about it?”   
  
Asami’s heart thundered in her chest as she nodded. “Of course!” She cursed herself for the hint of excitement even she could hear in her own voice. “Take as much time as you need.”   
  
Korra turned back to face her. “Thank you,” she said softly before stretching up to kiss Asami lightly on the lips. “I love you. You know that, right?”   
  
Asami squeezed her girlfriend’s hand. “Of course I do. And I love you too.”   
  
Korra looked exhausted and Asami couldn’t blame her. Everything she’d just dumped on her, Avatar or not, would take a lot of time to process. “I should go see about getting food for Naga,” she said. She took another look at the machine and Asami saw a shudder pass through her. She couldn’t blame her for that either.   
  
She hated herself for making Korra go through all of this again. She felt awful giving her this decision to make. She knew that what had happened to her had affected Korra nearly as deeply as it had affected Asami. To drag it up again and throw this machine in Korra’s face was nothing short of torture. But Asami knew she couldn’t keep living like this. She couldn’t keep the memories of her experience at bay. If there was even the smallest chance that doing this could give her some peace, it would be all worth it. She watched Korra ascend the stairs out of her workshop and Asami glanced once more at the machine, shivering.   
  
Korra would understand eventually. She hoped.  
  


* * *

  
A week went by without Asami mentioning the machine again. Korra tried her best to forget about it. It was easier when she was out during the day. Without a world-threatening crisis to attend to, Korra spent most of her days in Republic City at the moment being an Avatar of the people. She would take her glider or Naga and do her own patrols of the city. Occasionally she would assist with a police matter if she spotted something in progress that she could help with, but mostly she tried to be of assistance in smaller ways. Things that President Moon or Chief Beifong might be too busy to deal with. She helped smooth out some plots of land in one of the new neighborhoods near the Spirit Wilds; she mediated an argument between the airbenders and one of the spirits by the spirit portal; she helped children find their lost parents; interrupted a mugging or two; helped fix some of the structural damage that Kuvira’s colossus had caused around the city; and dozens more little things. It felt good to keep herself busy. Carrying lots of little responsibilities was nicer than one big one.   
  
But when she was home, it was harder to put the machine and Asami’s request out of her mind. It was like it was in every room with her, this weight on her consciousness that she couldn’t shake. Part of her - the most stubborn part, the part of her that liked to solve all of her problems by breaking them - wanted to march down into the workroom and rip the machine apart at the seams. It scared her. And what Asami was asking her to do scared her too. 

But Korra liked to think that she’d changed over the years since she’d first come to Republic City. She wanted to believe that she had grown in her ability to understand and be empathetic. So she didn’t destroy the machine, and every night, she spent time in the meditation room Asami had designed for her on the third floor, deep in thought.   
  
One evening, as she came downstairs after meditating, she smelled cooking in the kitchen. She sniffed the air. It was water tribe food. She perked up and peeked into the kitchen. Asami was there, in perfectly tailored pants and her favorite sleeveless top, eschewing her half-cape in the comfort of their home. She was checking a couple of pots and peering into the oven when she heard Korra. She turned and smiled at her.   
  
Things had been a little awkward between them since Asami’s request the week before. Not bad, per say, but awkward. Asami seemed to have a harder time meeting Korra’s eyes these days, and Korra for her part knew that she didn’t always seek out her girlfriend’s company, spending more time in the courtyard with Naga or out on patrol.   
  
But just at that moment, things between them seemed to be perfectly normal. “Is that giant sea crab I smell?” Korra asked. It was a delicacy in the Northern Water Tribe, and one of the only fond memories she had of visiting her uncle when she was younger.   
  
“It might be,” Asami said. “Can you set the table for me? The food’s almost done.”   
  
Less than ten minutes later the two of them sat together in the kitchen. The promised crab was sitting on a large plate surrounded by smaller dishes with sea prunes, seaweed noodles and steamed dumplings. Korra loaded her plate gratefully and ate with relish. Asami hadn’t been much of a cook when she’d met her. A life of having chefs prepare your meals for you didn’t really prepare you for such things. But she’d greatly improved over the years, and Korra counted herself impressed.   
  
“This is really good,” she said through a mouthful of dumpling, her voice muffled somewhat by the food packed into it. Asami arched a delicate eyebrow at her girlfriend as she ate a small, dignified bite of crab from the end of her fork.   
  
“Always the tone of surprise,” she said, an amused grin on her face, green eyes sparkling in the lower light of the dining room.   
  
Korra washed down the dumplings with a gulp of tea and stopped to catch her breath. “So what’s the occasion? I didn’t forget something important, did I?”   
  
Asami giggled. “No, of course not. There’s no occasion. I just wanted to thank you for being so...patient with me this last week.”   
  
Korra felt a small twist in her stomach. Right, she should have guessed. Something must have shown on her face because Asami’s smile faded just a little and she looked away blushing slightly. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up.”   
  
“No, it’s okay,” Korra said. She reached across the table and took Asami’s hand, threading their fingers together. “We were going to have to talk about it eventually.”   
  
Asami met Korra’s eyes again, giving her a searching look, but not saying anything. She looked like she was holding her breath. Korra squeezed her fingers.   
  
“I think I overreacted a little when you showed me the machine,” she admitted. She paused. “I still don't think it's a good thing. But I think I understand why you built it.”   
  
Asami’s eyes widened slightly and her face paled. “You do?”   
  
Korra nodded. “Yeah. It’s not just about keeping me safe, right?”   
  
The last bit of color drained from Asami’s face, but Korra squeezed her fingers reassuringly. After a moment, she looked down and shook her head.   
  
Korra nodded sympathetically. “I get it. It’s therapeutic for you. You want to face it again. I can understand that. Hell, I did the same thing in a way when we were facing the Earth Empire the first time. I felt so broken after everything with Zaheer, and it wasn’t until I faced him and confronted that fear that I was able to move on.”   
  
Asami’s face went from white to red very quickly, but she didn’t look at Korra again. Korra could sense shame from her girlfriend, and she wanted to help her. She wanted to tell her everything would be okay. But that wasn’t how this was going to work. She understood that now.   
  
“What I’m trying to say is, if you think that this will help you get over what happened, then I’ll do it.”   
  
Asami looked up at her quickly with an expression of disbelief. “You will?”   
  
Korra nodded slowly. “Yeah. I will. But we’re going to be _very_ careful about this, okay? I’ll use it to make the failsafe, like you wanted. I think that’s a good idea, even if it’s a little weird. And I don’t want you to write down the code for the machine or anything. I can’t keep that many numbers in my head, and I don’t want it lying around for someone to find. So you’ll have to turn it on when we start and off again when we’re done.”   
  
Asami nodded. “Of course! That makes complete sense. So...when did you want to do it?”   
  
Korra shrugged, sipping her tea. “Well, it’s not like we have to go very far. We can do it tonight, unless you think you need more time.”

“No!” Asami said quickly, then caught herself. “I mean, you’re right. We should just do it tonight.”  
  
Korra nodded and the two of them finished their food in silence. Once dinner was done and cleared away, Asami led Korra back down into the work room. The familiar sense of dread still filled her when she looked at the machine, but she tried to ignore it. This wasn’t about her. It was about helping Asami. She could be strong for her.   
  
Asami slid one of her many sketchbooks from a nearby table and began to leaf through it. When she got close to the end, she beckoned Korra over. “These are the settings I’ve managed to isolate,” she said. The page Asami showed her was divided into three sections, each one with a different array of numbers on them. The pair of them moved closer to the machine and Korra could see that the numbers correlated with numbered levers and knobs. Each of those had a setting marked by them.   
  
“From my research, and reading over Baatar Jr.’s notes, it looks like there are three actually major settings with varying degrees of effectiveness. This,” she indicated the third section of the page that Korra was beginning to understand was an instruction manual made for her, “is the one that Guan used. The one that-” she stopped, her breathing a little shallow for a moment before she shook her head. “That’s the one that can completely warp a person’s mind.”   
  
“Okay, so don’t use that one,” Korra said, already mentally blocking that section as she looked over the other two. “So these are less...effective?”   
  
“Less pervasive,” Asami corrected her. “If I’m right, they should be equally effective. But in different ways. This setting,” she said, indicating the first section on the page, “I think will induce a state of extreme suggestibility, though unlike the later stages, I believe that the subject would retain some of their cognitive functions. They may even be able to communicate.”   
  
Korra didn’t like the way Asami was so casually referring to herself as “the subject” but she wasn’t sure if she liked the alternative better. “So that’s the setting I should use?”   
  
Asami paused. “You could. But I think the subject would retain some memory in this state. If you wanted the failsafe to be more secure, it might be better if I don’t remember exactly how I would warn you.”   
  
Korra frowned. “Even at the strongest setting though, you remembered what Sheng had told you, didn’t you?”   
  
“Yes, but only because Sheng _wanted_ me to remember,” Asami said. “She wanted the mantras to shape my personality. But Baatar’s notes suggest that in the second or third stage, memories could be manipulated. Part of me would remember how the failsafe works, but not the conscious part of me.”   
  
Korra was liking this less and less, but she had already agreed to do it. She couldn't back out now. “Okay, so I’ll do the second stage. But I’ll start with the first one to...to see how you’re feeling, okay?”   
  
Asami smiled at her and nodded. “Okay. I think I’d feel better about that in any case.” She flipped over the page and Korra couldn’t help but notice that there were the ragged edges of missing, torn out pages between the instruction manual and the next page. This one was filled with words rather than numbers or sketches. Most of the sentences had been scratched out or heavily edited, but a few of them seemed to have survived on the page in Asami’s clean handwriting.   
  
“I wrote these for you,” Asami said, answering Korra’s unasked question. “Clarity in instructions is an important part of the process. The subject’s ability to make decisions on their own is limited while under the influence of the machine, so you have to be clear and concise, leaving as little room as possible for interpretation.” Korra read through the lines on the page.   
  
_Asami Sato, you are in love with Avatar Korra. To protect her, you must obey this order._ _  
_ _  
_ _If your mind is ever compromised, you will address her as_

_You will tell no one else of this order. You will not remember how you are to address her._

“Address her as what?” Korra asked. Asami shook her head.  
  
“That’s for you to decide. If I know what it is, it’s less secure.”   
  
Korra frowned, but agreed. She read through the lines again. “This first one here,” she said. “The one saying that you love me,” she could feel heat rising in her cheeks a little. “Doesn’t that kind of infringe on you a little? I mean, I don’t want to make loving me some command you have to obey.”   
  
Asami beamed at Korra. “That’s sweet of you,” she said, sincerely. “But the truth is Korra, I’m already so in love with you that I don’t think a reminder of it can do anything more to me.” Korra met her eyes and the sincerity, the depth of love that was there for her to see, made her heart melt She felt her pulse quicken, her blush deepen.   
  
“Asami,” she said. “I...this is a little scary. What you want to give me, even for this little thing...this is a lot of responsibility.”   
  
“I know,” Asami said. She set the book aside and pulled Korra close to her. “But I trust you. Completely. You’re right, it isn’t just about protecting you - although that is incredibly important to me. I need this. I need you.”   
  
Korra looked at her a long time before reaching up and pulling her into a slow, deep kiss. Her arms slid around her neck while Asami’s wrapped around her waist. They stayed like that a while before Korra broke the kiss, leaning into Asami’s neck, breathing in the scent of her. She smelled like jasmine. Finally, she drew away and nodded her head.   
  
“Okay. Let’s do this.”

* * *

  
Sitting in the chair brought back a well of unpleasant memories. Not just when she had been restrained in one like it by Guan and Sheng, but also the unpleasant memories of Kuvira and Korra trying to free her. She had hated that part as much as the real her had hated being brainwashed in the first place. But this time would be different. This time she was giving up control willingly.   
  
_And I’m giving it to Korra._

She had already typed in the passcode to start the machine, Korra turning away so she wouldn’t even see what it was. Now she was settling the cage over her head, tightening the straps that would keep it in place and attaching the electrodes to her temples. Korra watched her with a serious expression. She wasn’t a fidgety person, but Asami could sense the restless energy within her. She felt another swell of guilt but it was too late for that now. She hadn’t been right about _why_ Asami needed this, but she did need it.   
  
She just hoped that it would be enough.

“Okay,” Asami said as she settled into the chair. “I’m ready.”  
  
Korra took up her position behind the console, Asami’s sketchbook open in front of her as she adjusted knobs and dials. She checked and triple checked them before looking up at Asami.   
  
“Okay. It’s all set.” She paused. “I have to ask. Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?”   
  
Asami could feel her heartbeat in her stomach. Her skin was tingling with anticipation. She wanted this so badly that to have it delayed by even a second was a cruel kind of agony. But the fact that Korra was being so sweet to her cut through the cacophony of her body and she nodded resolutely. “Yes Korra, I’m sure.”   
  
Korra gave her a long look, then nodded and pulled a lever on the console.   
  
Asami had been braced for pain. Guan’s machine had been excruciating when he’d first turned it on. The pain hadn’t lasted long, and the utter, complete and perfect bliss that had followed would have been worth a shock hundreds of times stronger as far as Asami was concerned. But this one was lighter. A tingle that arced through her temples and raced down to the tips of her toes. As the pulse ran through her body, she felt her muscles relax. There was a deep, thrumming sound she could feel in her chest, but it wasn’t the all-consuming droning that had drowned out her ability to think. Guan’s machine had held her mind hostage, forcing it into compliance. This one was more like...like a good friend. It wanted her to relax. To listen. It wasn’t keeping her from thinking her own thoughts. But it was also telling her that they weren’t terribly important at the moment. That it would feel nicer if she just let her mind be empty and receptive.   
  
So she did.   
  
“Asami?” Korra’s voice reminded her that her girlfriend was in the room. It was a pleasant thought, but it wasn’t terribly important, so she let it drift away so she could be empty again.   
  
“Asami, can you hear me?” Korra’s voice brought her back to her mind. She’d asked her a question, and there wasn’t a reason not to answer her.   
  
“Yes Korra, I can hear you,” she said. To her own ears, her voice sounded dreamy, as if she was half-asleep. But those thoughts also weren’t important and they slid from her mind as easily as the rest of them.   
  
“How do you feel?”   
  
Asami considered the question. It required a little bit of thinking to do, but her mind was completely empty and unoccupied, so it wasn’t difficult. It felt like the answers were coming to her, presenting themselves to her as she thought how to answer, and because using those answers meant she could go back to being empty sooner, she did.   
  
“I feel relaxed and empty. I feel peaceful, compliant and aroused.”   
  
Having made themselves useful, the thoughts drifted from her head once more.   
  
“Aroused?” Korra’s voice said. She sounded confused, but she hadn’t really asked Asami a question, so she didn’t feel the need to answer her.

“Why do you feel aroused?” Korra asked, and Asami thought that there might have been a hint of frustration in her voice. Like before, the answers presented themselves easily to her. Some very distant part of her briefly considered maybe not saying everything that came to her, but it soon quieted again. This was the fastest way back to that wonderfully pleasant emptiness after all.  
  
“The machine reinforces compliance with pleasure,” Asami said. “I am being compliant, so I feel pleasure.” It wasn’t as profound as the last time she had been in the machine, but it was very nice to let herself be empty and answer Korra’s questions. And because she was empty of other thoughts, she couldn’t desire more the way she had when her mind was her own. She could just exist in emptiness and be obedient.

There was a long pause after that. A pause long enough for the thought of Korra being with her to slip away from Asami. Long enough that she became lost in the emptiness. She felt good, and that was nice, but without an anchor of thoughts, time was lost in a void of gentle, permeating pleasure.   
  
Eventually, Korra spoke again. “Do you still want me to give you the failsafe?”   
  
“Yes, I do,” Asami said truthfully.   
  
“Okay. I’m going to take you down to the next level Asami. Is that okay with you?”   
  
That was an odd question. Asami could only comply, couldn’t she? She wondered very briefly if she could have told Korra no. But the thought vanished in a moment. It didn’t matter, especially since she already knew she didn’t want to refuse. “It is,” she said.   
  
She faintly heard the clicking of knobs and the adjusting of instruments on the console. Then the sound of the lever being pulled and her whole body tensed up.   
  
The pain was worse, but it didn’t last long. When it faded, her body felt even heavier, even more relaxed than before. And the thrumming was stronger, Asami could feel that too. In the last stage, it had been a quiet companion, helping her to ignore the thoughts that didn’t matter. This one was more pervasive. It was inside her mind, _pushing_ other thoughts away. Leaving her empty by force rather than by suggestion. Not that Asami cared. Not thinking was compliant, and on this level, compliance was bliss. It was so close to what she had wanted when her mind was her own, but without such desires to burden her, it was simply pure perfection.   
  
“Can you hear me Asami?” The voice was familiar to Asami, but the thrumming wouldn’t let her think enough to identify it. It was more distant than the voice that had spoken to her on the last level, yet also more compelling. She _had_ to answer the voice. Failure would mean failing to comply.   
  
“I can hear you,” Asami said. This time her voice sounded empty. It was devoid of emotion. Emotional inflection would require thought and consideration and both would keep her from being empty and compliant.   
  
There was a faint rustling of papers, then the voice spoke again. “Asami Sato, you are in love with Avatar Korra.”   
  
Asami’s empty, compliant mind recognized a command and grabbed hold of it eagerly. Obeying a command meant being compliant, and being compliant meant pleasure. “I am in love with Avatar Korra.” Saying the words made them true, made her _compliant_ and she felt her body sing with the pleasure of obedience.   
  
The voice continued: “In order to protect her, you must obey this order.” A slight pause as Asami waited, her mind ready to accept new commands and instructions it could obey. “If your mind is ever compromised, you will address Avatar Korra as ‘Koko.’”   
  
“If my mind is ever compromised, I will address Avatar Korra as ‘Koko’,” she agreed, unable to recognize the absurdity in the nickname. All she felt was pleasure as she _obeyed_.

“You will tell no one else of this order. You will not remember how you are to address her.”  
  
Asami’s voice failed to reflect her eagerness as she repeated her commands. “I will tell no one else of this order. I will not remember how I am to address her.” She felt amazing, she felt _complete_ . She was compliant. Obedient.   
  
The voice spoke again. “You will answer any question Avatar Korra asks you about your experiences with, and the aftermath of, being brainwashed with perfect and complete honesty.”   
  
The tiniest part of Asami was surprised by this command. The others had a vague familiarity to them despite the thrumming that was keeping her thoughts and memories at bay. This one lacked that. But she had no capacity to consider it further than that, and no ability to stop herself as she heard her voice add this command to the others. 

“I will answer any question Avatar Korra asks me about my experiences with, and the aftermath of, being brainwashed with perfect and complete honesty.”   
  
Another pause where time lost its meaning for Asami. Then, the sound of more clicks and adjustments from the console, and with a startling abruptness, the thrumming in Asami’s mind was gone. The pressure on her temples faded. Her body slowly came back under her control. Her thoughts began to drift back in piece by piece. It was a new experience coming out of the machine this way. The first time, she had been consumed by the mantras given to her by Doctor Sheng. The second, she had come back as herself again. This was a mixture of the two. She felt like herself, but she _knew_ she was different. A little. She tried to focus on what was different about her, but the memories of just moments before had already become a blur of droning sound and insidious pleasure.   
  
She reached a little further. She could vaguely remember being in the first stage of the machine. It was like a dream, half-remembered, and growing more insubstantial as she examined the memories closer.   
  
Slowly, she removed the cage from her head and set it on the table. She leaned forward, resting her head in her palms as she breathed. She felt exhausted and completely mentally drained. The pleasure she’d felt coming out of the machine for Guan wasn’t there, but that was likely because, at the moment anyways, she had nothing to comply with. She was acting on her own.   
  
She sensed Korra’s presence as she knelt next to her. Asami looked up and saw the concern in her eyes. But there was something else there too. A shadow of something Asami couldn’t place.   
  
“Are you okay?” Korra asked. Asami nodded.   
  
“Just a little dizzy. I’ll be fine.” She looked at Korra. “Did it work? The failsafe I mean.” Obviously the machine had worked.   
  
Korra stood up and looked away from her. “I think so,” she said. “I guess we won’t be able to know for sure unless something bad happens.”   
  
“Yeah. I guess not.” Asami looked at Korra. There was something strangely distant about her. She opened her mouth to ask her about it, but Korra spoke first.   
  
“I should probably turn in for the night. I told Mako I’d help him and some of his officers with a stakeout tomorrow morning. They’re a man down, so…” she trailed off, still not looking at Asami.   
  
“Oh, um, yeah. Sure.” She tried not to let panic get the better of her. _This was weird for her. Give her some space. It will be fine_ . “I’ll probably stay up a little bit. I’m a little behind on work stuff anyways.”   
  
Korra nodded. Was it Asami’s imagination, or had the gesture been curt? She watched Korra turn and leave, still sitting in the chair, her legs feeling like lead. A little ways away, Korra turned back towards her girlfriend and met her gaze.   
  
“I love you ‘Sami,” she said.   
  
Asami gave her a small smile. “I love you too Korra.”   
  
As Korra took the stairs, Asami’s breath caught in her chest.   
  
_I am in love with Avatar Korra._

She was compliant. She had obeyed. She loved Avatar Korra. Asami’s head spun and she leaned back in the chair. _Pleasure_ . The pure, satisfying, all-consuming pleasure of obedience filled her once more. It had worked. It had actually _worked_ .   
  
“I love you Korra,” she said to herself and her body lit up again. It was different than with Sheng’s mantras. It didn’t incapacitate her the same way. It didn’t push out all thoughts that weren’t aligned with one of her orders. It was just present in her mind. Perhaps less intense than it had been when she was obeying before, but she could summon the pleasure whenever she wanted.   
  
All she had to do was obey the one thing in the world that came as naturally to her as breathing.   
  
“I’m in love with Avatar Korra,” she said again and she sighed as she was rewarded. She couldn’t stop herself. Her hands were already at her belt, undoing it before hooking her thumbs into her waistband and shoving both pants and underwear down her long, pale legs in one swift movement. They caught around her boots but she was too impatient to kick them off. She spread her thighs, her fingers finding her lower lips and stroking them gently as she whispered to herself.   
  
“I’m in love with Avatar Korra. I love Korra. I love her.” She was amazed at the heat of her skin as she stroked herself, sliding a finger just along her inner lips. Up and down. Teasing. Gentle. Slow.   
  
“I love Korra.” She felt the heat spreading from her sex up her belly. “I _love_ her, I love her!” It was like a fire inside of her. It spread to her chest and she knew she was flushed, already beginning to sweat. Her whispers turned to breathy gasps and moans as she gave into her desires and slipped a finger inside of her, followed quickly by a second. She was hot, and wet, and _obedient_ , and that obedience was pleasure and that pleasure made her touch something electric inside of her. Her other hand was pulling up her shirt impatiently, pushing her bra out of the way to grope her breast, to tease a hard, sensitive nipple between her fingers as she bit her lip over a moan.   
  
She let her mind wander. Let her imagine herself in the machine. She saw Korra standing over her. Listened to her as she commanded her. Felt her mind collapse as Korra _controlled_ her. Ordering Asami to kneel before her, making Asami _obey_ . Making her adore her, worship her, _love her_ .   
  
_I am in love with Avatar Korra._

“I am in love with Avatar Korra!” She cried out as she climaxed, feeling the way her body flexed and squeezed around her fingers as she arched her back, nearly lifting herself out of the chair. She collapsed back into it, panting, sweat making her hair stick to her forehead and her neck. She sat like that for some time, lost in the waves and waves of pleasure rolling through her, occasionally summoning them back when they seemed like they were receding by pledging her love to Korra again.   
  
Eventually she slid her fingers from inside of her. Her whole hand was practically dripping, and the chair was damp with her arousal. She groaned and stood with some effort, pulling her clothes back on haphazardly as she brushed her hair from her face.  
  
Her experiment had worked. She had a way to feel that pleasure again. A way that was directed _towards_ Korra instead of against her. But as Asami’s mind drifted to the fantasy she’d indulged right before her climax, she felt a shiver down her spine. What depths of her mind had those images crept out of?   
  
And, more importantly, now that she’d seen them, would she be able to forget them?   
  
Asami powered down the machine and leaned against one of her work tables for support. There would be time to grapple with those things later. She had a more pressing concern at the moment, and it was only one thing that mattered to her. One thing she knew with absolute certainty. The thought was thrilling, exhilarating, and also a special kind of terrifying.  
  
Now that she’d had a taste, Asami wanted more. 


	3. Lies of Omission

Korra didn’t sleep much that night. She went up to their bedroom like she told Asami she was going to, but she sat on the edge of the bed and tried to put everything that had just happened out of her mind. When that didn’t work, she stood and pulled her sleeveless water tribe tunic up over her head and began to unwind the wraps she wore around her chest. She had a very healthy appreciation for her own body - even if she wished she was a little taller on occasion - but there was no denying that her chest was something of an inconvenience when she spent so much of her day highly active.  
  
The mundane task and musings, however, couldn’t keep her mind from drifting back to Asami’s basement workshop. They couldn’t stop Korra from remembering the _change_ that had come over Asami the moment she’d pulled that lever. It was like a light had gone out in Asami’s eyes. She was such a passionate person. It was one of the things Korra loved the most about her. No matter what else she was feeling or what she was doing, there was a deep, profound _intelligence_ in Asami’s beautiful green eyes. They were her soul, as far as Korra was concerned, always watching, documenting, cataloguing, daring to dream or create something every moment. And with one gesture, Korra had snuffed all of that out.  
  
She shivered a little in the cool air as she finished unwrapping herself. Fall was coming to an end, and winter was fast approaching. Not that the cold bothered Korra much. Growing up in the Southern Water Tribe made Republic City winters feel like a balmy summer’s day. It was bracing. Calming.  
  
 _“I feel relaxed and empty. I feel peaceful, compliant and aroused.”_

 _“The machine reinforces compliance with pleasure. I am being compliant, so I feel pleasure.”_  
  
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Korra asked the room softly. They’d talked comparatively little about Asami’s experience. She’d talked about how horrible it had been, being a prisoner inside her own mind. She told Korra that there had been a part of her trying to get free, but that over time it had grown more and more quiet. She’d told her that doing as her mantras said had felt right, even good, and Korra knew that had fueled a lot of her completely unnecessary guilt. But she’d never implied there was anything _sexual_ about it. 

_Because she didn’t want you to know,_ the voice in her head said. But why not? Why did she feel like this was something she had to hide?  
  
The obvious answer came to her immediately. _Because part of her liked it._ Korra felt her jaw clench. Was that it? Was that why she had insisted on all of this? On rebuilding the machine, on Korra giving her this failsafe?  
  
Korra didn’t know, couldn’t know, for certain. She sat down heavily on the edge of the bed and began to remove her boots one at a time. _Does that doubt justify violating her trust?_ The voice asked.  
  
Korra jerked her second boot off with more force than was necessary and threw it across the room to join the other. She put her face in her hands, shame filling her. That’s exactly what she had done. She had felt lied to. Used. So she gave Asami a command they hadn’t agreed to. She had wanted to know the truth, so she gave her a command that would make her.  
  
 _How does that make you better than Guan?_  
  
“I’m nothing like him!” Korra said, looking up fiercely, face flushing. She looked into the full-length mirror Asami had insisted they needed. She saw her own face looking back. There was wild fury in her eyes. But there was also fear. She stood and marched to the mirror, staring herself in the face.  
  
“You are _not_ like Guan,” she said. “You made a mistake, that’s all. Just don’t ask her about it. If she wants to talk about her experiences with you, she can. But you have no right to pry it out of her.”  
  
 _Even if she was lying to you?_

Korra clenched her jaw. “Yes. I love Asami. I trust her.”  
  
The voice in her head fell silent, but the doubts remained. Korra looked away from the mirror and finished dressing for bed in loose-fitting pants and a tank top. She slid under the covers and tried unsuccessfully to quiet her mind. But images of Asami’s empty eyes, the lifeless droning of her voice as she’d repeated her commands, wouldn’t leave Korra’s imagination. It was so...wrong. She’d been so helpless. Korra could have done _anything_ to her, she knew that with absolute certainty. It was what had made the machine so terrifying in the first place. Asami had put so much trust in her. And she had failed her. Korra had taken advantage of her.  
  
A strange sensation twisted in Korra’s stomach. Shame and guilt mixed with another terribly uncomfortable feeling. A strange, alien kind of thrill. Korra shut her eyes and fell back on one of the meditation techniques Tenzin had shown her, focusing on her breathing, trying to keep her other thoughts at bay.  
  
 _I wonder if this is what Asami felt?_  
  
Korra gritted her teeth and forced that thought away as well. She didn’t know how long she lay there before falling into a light, fitful sleep.  
  
She woke when Asami came into the room. She couldn’t have been asleep for very long. She continued to lie still, hoping that sleep would return to her. She listened to Asami undress and slip into a nightgown before climbing in bed beside her. She could feel Asami’s attention on her back, and she did her best to breathe evenly and deeply. After a minute, she felt her girlfriend leaning over her, her long hair tickling Korra’s nose as she kissed her on the head.  
  
“I love you, Korra,” she said. Korra had heard her say those words dozens of times in the relatively short time that they’d been together, and she never tired of hearing them. How could she? The most beautiful, clever, witty person she’d ever known somehow loved _her_ of all people. But she’d never heard Asami say those words with the same...reverence as she did just then. Like it was a prayer. That same strange thrill raced through Korra again. For a moment, she thought about turning around and kissing Asami. She thought of taking her, then and there. Pushing her onto her back, stripping her naked, spreading her legs so she could taste her, pleasure her, feel her _moan_ as she arched her back in that way Korra loved so much.  
  
But then Asami had laid down and the urge faded, replaced by that same mixture of guilt and betrayal. Even meditation made it hard to sleep after that, and she spent the rest of the night tossing and turning until the approaching light of dawn told her it was time to get up.  
  
“You don’t look so hot,” Mako noted. He’d picked her up in an unmarked car outside her house and she had refused to engage with him until they’d stopped for an irresponsibly large and very caffeinated tea. She glared at him flatly and sipped the hot beverage. Mako just rolled his eyes as he parked the car a few blocks away from the stakeout. A few of Mako’s men were posted up outside the building that an anonymous tip suggested was being used as a safe house for a group of equalists. It wouldn’t be the first time the leaderless group of anti-benders had tried to rally up together, but that didn’t mean they shouldn’t approach them as a credible threat.  
  
“You can be offended all you want,” Mako said, making sure the radio was on so they’d hear the call for backup. “I just need to know that you’re up for this.”  
  
Korra sighed and took another long drink. “I’m fine. Just didn’t sleep all that well last night.”  
  
“Something wrong?” Korra shrugged.

“No. Maybe. I don’t know.” She sighed, but didn’t feel like getting more into it. Mako, to Korra’s relief, didn’t push the matter. She knew he was still curious, but he was respecting her privacy, and she was grateful for that. She wouldn’t even have known how to start talking about everything that had happened last night, and even if she had, she was pretty sure it would qualify as relationship advice. As much as she liked Mako, and as much as she trusted in him and relied on him, it felt awkward to go to him for problems with her love life. It wasn’t just because they had dated for a not insignificant amount of time, though that was part of it. It just felt like it was bad form to ask Mako to help his ex-girlfriend in her relationship with his other ex-girlfriend.  
  
But, there was a matter that she _could_ talk to Mako about. Asami hadn’t been the only one who had been affected by Doctor Sheng’s machine. Mako and Bolin had been brainwashed right along with her. Korra considered that, nearly scalding her tongue as she gulped more of her tea. She wouldn’t have to go into any detail about what Asami had been going through to ask Mako about his experience. And maybe it would help her understand her girlfriend’s situation better.

“Mako...what was it like? After Doctor Sheng, you know, used her machine on you?”  
  
Mako looked at her, a confused expression on his face and Korra inwardly cursed herself for her lack of anything approaching tact. “If you don’t want to talk about it,” she said hastily, “you don’t have to. I just...well, I never really talked to any of you guys much about it. And it’s been kind of difficult to process some things lately.”  
  
Mako’s frown deepened. “Not even with Asami?” Korra shook her head.  
  
“I mean, a little bit, but not a lot. I think part of me was scared to know more. But, I’ve been having these crazy nightmares and I’m starting to think that maybe not knowing is worse than knowing, so, you know…” she trailed off awkwardly. “Forget it, I shouldn’t have said anything. You don’t want to think about that stuff.”  
  
“You’re right,” Mako said. “I don’t. But sometimes trying to ignore something just makes it worse.” He took a deep breath and looked out across the quiet street they were parked on. He stayed that way for long enough that Korra thought he’d changed his mind. Then he said, without looking at her, “What do you want to know?”  
  
Korra shifted uncomfortably in her seat, but she’d brought it up. No backing out now. “How did it...feel? When you were brainwashed, I mean.”  
  
Mako considered the question. “Suffocating,” he finally said. “We were given these phrases. Or maybe rules is the better word. It was like, everything I did or everything I thought had to be checked against them. If it was acceptable based on the rules, then I could do it. If not...it hurt. Badly.”  
  
Korra thought about that. “And if you did what it said? Did it feel...good?”  
  
Mako paused. “I suppose, in a way, yes.”  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
Mako furrowed his brow. “Saying it felt good feels a little inadequate. It was just right. It was the way things were supposed to be. It wasn’t just one good sensation, it was every good sensation, all at one time.”  
  
Korra gripped her tea with both hands, a shiver running down her spine. She had another question, one she desperately needed to ask, but one that she didn’t want to know the answer to. She let them sit like that for a minute before she managed to work up the courage.  
  
“Do you ever...miss it?”  
  
Mako tensed, his shoulders tightening as his eyes hardened. “Never,” he said. He looked at her, and the intensity of his gaze made Korra look away. “I wasn’t me. They reached in my head and used me. Nothing is worth that.” He relaxed a little and sat back in his seat. “Besides, it was too much. That feeling...it was almost exhausting. Like it was extracting something out of you. It cost something to feel that way.” He shook his head. “Enough of something like that, and it makes the rest of the world feel numb by comparison. I wouldn’t want that.”  
  
Korra nodded, finishing her tea to cover her intense discomfort. _Asami, what did you ask me to do?_  
  
“Thanks, Mako,” she said, sincerely. “I appreciate you talking about this with me.”  
  
He gave her a small smile. “No problem.” He was prevented by saying more by the crackling of the radio in the car.  
  
“Equalists spotted leaving the building, heading north. Team one, you are a go.”  
  
“We’re up,” Mako said, putting the car in gear and hitting the gas as they lurched forward after trouble.  
  


* * *

By the time Asami had woken up, Korra was gone. She pushed away the voice in her head telling her to worry, or that something was wrong. She knew something was wrong. She had used her girlfriend, manipulated her to get what she wanted. _Korra just needs space_ , she told herself. _Then everything will go back to normal._  
  
She got up, had a light breakfast, showered and dressed. It was mid-morning by the time she started applying her makeup, sitting at the double vanity she highly doubted Korra had every once used. It would be good to get into the office today and start catching up on some of her backlog. It might have been a little irresponsible to take so much time off for a personal project, but at least she could let that lie for a little while. She thought of the night before, how her experience had left her craving more and she shivered.  
  
 _Focus. Live in the real-world for a little bit. You got what you wanted, didn’t you?_  
  
She finished applying her makeup and looked at herself in the mirror. “You can get what you want any time,” she told herself. “You can be happy with that for now, right?” Her reflection looked back at her, unhelpfully. She frowned slightly. Then she smiled. She just had to remind herself, that was all. She looked down at the picture of Korra that sat at the base of her mirror. It was a candid shot. They’d been distributing food and supplies to the people who had been displaced by Kuvira’s attack. Varrick, who had been working on Zhu Li’s campaign for president at the time, had given Asami a camera and told her to take some pictures. After taking a few as requested, she’d spied Korra, taking a break and sitting a little apart from the crowd on a small table of earth she had pulled from the ground. She had been caught off guard by the camera, and she was looking at it with an amused sort of exasperation. Korra hated the picture, but Asami thought it was adorable. The pure, honest sincerity in the affection of her gaze had been meant for Asami and nobody else. She loved her. She remembered it every time she looked at that picture.  
  
Too many people saw Korra as some great being. They saw her title, and little else. If they thought about her at all beyond that, it would be how they could use her, or worse, how they could destroy her. Everybody wanted something from the Avatar. But to Asami, Korra was just an incredible, talented young woman who, against all odds, loved her. She lifted the picture gently in her hands and kissed it, leaving a red lip mark on the glass of the frame.

“I love you, Korra,” she said softly. Her eyelids fluttered as her breath caught in her chest. She focused again on the picture. “I love you,” she said again, and she leaned back in her chair, letting her eyes slide closed as her whole body hummed with pleasure. She had never reacted so _physically_ when she was under Guan’s control. But maybe that was because she had been a different person then. She hadn’t really been Asami Sato. She’d been a puppet, locked inside her own head. Now she was herself, but allowed the pleasure of obedience.  
  
 _Maybe it’s just because I know it’s Korra I’m obeying_ , she thought. Which led easily into the next thought. _I am in love with Avatar Korra._  
  
She needed to leave. She needed to put in an appearance at work. If she kept this up, she was likely to have her credibility for her job called into question. She glanced into the mirror again.  
  
“I’m in love with Korra,” she said and this time she felt her eyes roll back. She did own the company, she’d supposed. And she’d been out of the office for long periods of time before. Usually on some mission with Korra, of course, but even still...she could be a little later. What harm could it do?  
  
 _I am in love with Avatar Korra._  
  
 _Quickly, it won’t take long_ . She replaced the picture on the vanity and moved to the bed, spreading herself out on the soft comforter. She hiked up her skirt and reached between her legs, rubbing herself through her tights and underwear.  
  
 _I am in love with Avatar Korra._ _  
__  
_She groaned as she rubbed herself. Faster, she needed to go faster. “I love you, Korra!” she shouted, breathlessly as she sped up. “I love you, I’m so in love with you, _ohh Korra!_ Korra I love you, I _love you!_ ”  
  
She needed penetration. She ripped the crotch of her tights, her mind focused on a single thing, She pushed her underwear aside impatiently and slid two fingers inside of her waiting sex. The sensation drew a long, shameless moan from her lips. “Korra! _Korra!_ I love you Korra, I love Korra, love Korra, I love Korr-AH!!”  
  
Her first orgasm had hardly passed before her fingers began to work on her second. Her free hand found her clitoris and began to circle it, _pressing_ it, teasing it as she lost herself completely in the overwhelming pleasure. She held nothing back. She screamed for Korra, pledged herself to her love, repeating her mantra again and again and again.  
  
She was oblivious to the world when, between her third and fourth orgasms, the front door opened downstairs. She didn’t hear Korra as she called upstairs for her. Didn’t hear her heavy boots as they came up the stairs and down the hall to their bedroom. All she could hear was her own voice ringing in her ears.  
  
“Love Korra, I love Korra, I am in love - _OHhhh_ \- Avatar Korra, yes, please, Korra, love, let me, please, _please_ , I love Korra! I love you Korra!”  
  
“Asami!?”  
  
Her voice sent Asami careening over the edge once more, her whole world going white as she heard Korra speak to her. She loved her. _I am in love with Avatar Korra._  
  
She opened her eyes as her vision clarified. Korra was hovering above her, a confused expression on her face. Asami still had one hand between her legs, but she used the other to reach up and pull Korra towards her. She resisted, but only slightly. She could tell she wanted Asami, and that thrill of being desired by her made her heart skip as they kissed.  
  
“Korra,” she whispered, letting her fingers slide out from between her legs. “Please...need you...I love you…” Her body lit up with obedience and she grabbed Korra’s wrist, trying to guide her hands between her legs.

“‘Sami,” Korra said but then her fingers were on her, and she was so _wet_ , and so eager, and she felt Korra slide inside her with ease. Asami moaned and began to tug at Korra’s tunic. She wanted her naked, wanted to feel her, touch her, _taste_ her. She kissed her again as she pulled on the hem of her tunic, trying to convince her girlfriend to undress for her wordlessly.  
  
“Asami, wait,” Korra said and then her fingers were gone. She was pulling away. Asami looked at her through sweat dampened hair. Korra was sitting a little apart from her, looking uneasy. Asami must have looked a mess. She felt flushed, and she knew she was sweating beneath her work clothes. Her tights had ripped wide open from the small tear she’d begun as she’d spread her legs wider and wider. Her skirt was riding up around her hips and her blouse was wrinkled and disheveled.  
  
But she didn’t want to stop. She realized that she wasn't thinking clearly, but her whole body was blazing with the incredible sensations she had been craving for so long as she looked at the woman she loved. She loved her, so much she felt her heart ache, and just at that moment she felt like she was incapable of thinking anything else. 

She lifted herself from the bed and straddled Korra. She watched her eyes widen in surprise as Asami looked at her with a sultry expression.  
  
“I love you Korra,” she said and as her mind rewarded her compliance, she kissed her girlfriend deeply. From this angle, grabbing the hem of Korra’s tunic was easy and she tugged it over her head. She was still resisting, but she knew Korra. She knew how much she loved when Asami wanted her. The tunic came free, revealing the wraps that Korra insisted on wearing when going out. Asami gave a little groan of frustration. In a few quick motions, she was topless, blouse and bra discarded on the ground as she pulled Korra into another deep kiss. She could feel her hard muscles against Asami’s own lean body. She wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, tangling one hand in her short dark hair as the other sunk fingers into the muscles of her back, nails biting into the skin in a way she knew Korra loved.  
  
She felt Korra gasp against her lips, felt the tiniest of moans into her mouth. Something inside of her that she seemed to be fighting gave way and she felt Korra’s hands move to where the wrap was tied off. With a sound of unmistakable delight, Asami broke the kiss long enough to help Korra unwrap her chest, tossing the long line of fabric away before pushing her girlfriend down to lay on the bed, still straddling her hips.  
  
She watched Korra’s eyes as they traveled over her half-naked form. Watched her drinking in the sight of her. The way she looked at Asami was its own thrill. Korra’s gaze was like her touch - they made Asami feel beautiful. They made her feel sensual. Desired. She rolled her body in a way that emphasized the movement of her hips, one hand reaching up to toss her dark hair in a way she knew drove Korra crazy. It was a little insane to Asami that Korra could look at her like that when she herself was a picture of physical perfection. Muscular without being bulky, perfectly feminine despite her strength. She even had a bigger chest than Asami, which didn’t seem fair considering how much and how often she worked out. And yet, she never felt inadequate with Korra.  
  
 _I love her._  
  
Her eyes rolled again at the obedient thought and she leaned over, both hands now groping Korra, squeezing her breasts as her face lowered to kiss her neck. “I love you Korra,” she whispered against her blazing hot skin. Her hands, lips and tongue set to work exploring every inch of exposed skin.  
  
Korra writhed beneath her. Asami knew that Korra preferred to be the one giving - she liked being in control, her Avatar. But she also knew that if she could get her on her back, nothing made Korra hotter than being teased and pampered. She adjusted herself slightly, sliding down Korra’s body so that her mouth could find one of her dark nipples, flicking her tongue across it until it was stiff and Korra was arching her back into Asami’s mouth. One hand slid up and down her body, nails tracing across her skin, making her shiver as her free hand began to undo the ties of Korra’s pants.  
  
When she realized what she was doing, Korra’s hands were there to help, her hesitancy turning to neediness under Asami’s care. She paused what she was doing long enough to tug Korra’s boots free and help her slide her pants and underwear down her legs, leaving her fully naked beneath her. She slid her own skirt off as well, but left the ripped tights and heels she had been planning to wear to work. That seemed like a small concern now.  
  
Korra tried to rise - likely to reverse their positions - but Asami didn’t let her. She put her hands against her girlfriend’s chest and pushed her back down to the bed, Korra letting out a groan of petty frustration as she did. Asami noted with amusement how she had had to use most of her body weight to pin Korra down again, and even then she had seemingly let her do so.  
  


Still, Asami reveled in her little victory. She brought her lips to Korra’s stomach and began to kiss her, long slow kisses trailing up and down her body. One hand was at her breast, while the other slid between Korra’s legs, rubbing her lower lips through a patch of dark, curly hair. She heard her whimper and spread her legs, silently begging Asami for more. Asami smiled against her hard stomach and refused to oblige, choosing to trace her lips carefully with the tips of her fingers instead.  
  
Korra began to squirm beneath her and Asami raised herself to kiss her girlfriend, trying to placate her unsuccessfully. Korra flexed her arms, one hand reaching up to hold Asami by the hair while the other wrapped around her, holding Asami hard against her. Her hips began to move against Asami’s hand, eager for more, but she kept her touch light, drawing back just enough to keep Korra from getting what she wanted. Asami broke the kiss, parting slightly from her girlfriend who was panting, eyes closed. “‘Sami,” Korra whispered urgently.  
  
“I love you Korra,” Asami said and her body responded. She let Korra cradle her as she slid a finger into her, finally obliging her, even if only a little bit. It wasn’t enough for Korra who began to move her hips in earnest. Asami felt Korra tugging at her hair and she hissed slightly through her teeth, though she didn't ask her to stop.  
  
“I love you Korra,” she said again and she slid her finger in and out of Korra, a slow, even tempo that was so obviously driving her crazy. “I love you. I love you Korra,” she moaned against her girlfriend’s neck. She didn’t know if Korra could hear her, but the words alone, combined with the physical manifestation of her love, were bringing her close. She slid another finger inside of Korra and was rewarded with a deep, throaty moan and another sharp tug on her hair.  
  
“Asami!” Korra groaned and Asami increased her speed in response. She kissed Korra’s neck, sucking hard on the skin, nipping her sharply, making Korra twist and shiver beneath her. Between each kiss she pledged her love, again and again and again.  
  
“I love you Korra, I love you. Please Korra...I love you...cum for me, love...cum for me...I love you...I love..love…” She felt her legs shaking as she bit down on Korra’s shoulder to keep from screaming. She felt Korra’s sex tighten around her fingers at the same moment, her grip so tight that for a moment Asami couldn’t breathe. They came together, white hot pleasure exploding through Asami as she was wrapped in her lover’s embrace.

* * *

Korra took some time to come down from the intensity of the orgasm. She was breathing heavily, the jasmine of Asami’s shampoo mingling with the scent of sex in the air. Asami lay on top of her, her face pressed into the hollow of Korra's neck. She could feel her lips moving, as if she was speaking. Her voice was soft, barely a whisper. Korra brushed back her hair - now a wild mass of gorgeous curls - and tried to listen to what she was saying. 

"I love you, Korra, I love you Korra," over and over, occasionally pausing to shiver or press her lips against Korra's neck, a particular weakness of hers. There was a substantial part of Korra that wanted to close her eyes and let Asami keep kissing her and running her hands softly, gently, all over her body.

But something in Asami's voice was bothering her. It was almost as if Korra wasn't meant to hear it, like it was a secret. She spoke with the same reverence that she had the night before when Korra had been pretending to be asleep. She said the words like they were a prayer. 

Or a mantra. 

Korra suddenly went cold, conflicting feelings dousing the heat of the moment in a second's time. She lifted Asami off of her. She wasn't rough, but she was insistent, and the move made Asami look up to meet her gaze. She looked…intoxicated, Korra thought. There was a glazed look in her eyes that was very uncharacteristic of her girlfriend, and she seemed like she was trying to get her bearings. 

Korra didn't know how long Asami had been up here before she'd found her, but she had been able to hear her from the entryway. She'd heard Asami saying her name, over and over. Saying she loved her. Just like she had now, as if the very act of saying it was-

Korra pushed away from Asami who seemed to finally have her wits about her again. Korra sat at the head of their bed, drawing her knees to her chest. She was very aware of her own nakedness, and the same feelings of inexplicable betrayal from the night before were pounding through her. She thought of the command she'd given her - the one she'd given without Asami's permission. She thought about using it now. The strange thrill she’d felt last night went through her at the thought. But, no. She should never have given it to her in the first place. 

_Give her a chance to explain,_ she thought. Korra took a deep breath. 

"Well that was…unexpected," she said slowly, careful not to overtly ask a question. Asami flushed. 

"I don't hear you complaining," she said. She was clearly making an attempt at levity, but there was a guilty way her eyes were searching Korra, as if she was trying to figure out what she was thinking. She hadn't bothered to cover herself, and Korra found her eyes wandering. She was so beautiful. Had she really lied to her? Was she using her? 

"I suppose not," Korra said. There was an awkward pause between them. Asami's blush deepened and she looked away from Korra. She shifted uncomfortably before sliding off the bed. She looked down at her ruined tights seeming to notice them for the first time. _That happened before I walked in_ , Korra thought. She watched Asami strip out of them, stepping out of her heels first. She dug a new pair out of one of her drawers. She began to dress herself slowly, still not meeting Korra's eyes. 

"I should probably get to work," Asami said as she retrieved her skirt. Korra's heart sank. 

"Right. Okay." She bit her lip. _Don't ask a question,_ she told herself. She should just get up, get dressed. Asami would talk to her when she was ready. 

Wouldn't she? 

She thought about what Mako had said. She thought about all of the things Asami hadn’t told her already.

Korra stood and went to Asami, wrapping her arms around Asami's waist. She had found her bra and was halfway through buttoning up her blouse. She froze, as Korra held her. 

"Asami," Korra said, pressing her face against her girlfriend's shoulder. "I feel like...like there's something else going on here. Something you're not telling me." No question, no violation. She felt Asami tense in her arms. 

"Korra, I…" She paused, and Korra pushed on. 

"I love you so much Asami, and I want to trust you on this, I really do. But you've been acting really weird the last few weeks and I just want to understand. Please, help me." 

Asami's hand went to Korra's where it lay across her stomach. For the span of a heartbeat, Korra thought Asami was about to say something. Then she removed Korra's arms from around her waist, stepping away from her to finish buttoning her blouse. 

"I'm sorry," she said, not looking at Korra, "but I just can't." 

Korra stood there, tears in her eyes. She felt like she was a million miles from Asami. She felt like her heart was breaking. She watched her dress, watched her walk towards the door, away from her. She glanced back at Korra one more time, shame and anguish in her beautiful green eyes. And before she could turn to leave, Korra spoke. 

“Does this have anything to do with how you felt when you were brainwashed?”  
  


* * *

  
“I…” Asami started to deny it, but even as she did, a new thought rose to the surface of her mind, powerful and clear.

_I will answer any question Avatar Korra asks me about my experiences with, and the aftermath of, being brainwashed with perfect and complete honesty._

She felt a fleeting moment of astonishment and betrayal. Korra had given her a command, one she hadn't remembered, one they hadn't discussed. She had just taken what she wanted. _Made_ Asami what she wanted. The image from the night before, of her kneeling, naked and obedient and _broken_ in front of Korra, rose to her mind. It didn't matter what she wanted, what she thought, because her whole being existed to worship the goddess given human form before her. The thought scared Asami, but beneath the fear there was something else: an intense feeling of arousal that, at the moment, seemed to be separate from what the machine made her feel.

As all of these emotions slammed into Asami, she heard herself speak without her ever consciously deciding to do so. 

“Yes, it does.” Pleasure rippled through her. Deeper than sexual, deeper than anything. Pure, unburdened compliance. “I couldn’t stop thinking about how good it felt to obey. I hated it, and craved it. I wanted more so I…” she hesitated. There was a throb of pain in her head and she winced before continuing, tears falling from her eyes. “...I tricked you into putting me in the machine again. I wanted to feel it, but with you instead. Because I love you. Because I knew...I knew you wouldn’t hurt me…”

Had Korra hurt her? The feeling of betrayal hadn't quite subsided, but it was hard to feel with the perfect pleasure of obedience running through her body. And there was something else there as well. Another sensation inside of her. It was similar to what she felt when she confessed her love for Korra. It wasn't the same as the slavish devotion she'd offered Guan. This was _Korra_ she was obeying, and like before, in the mirror, her reaction was far more physical than it had ever been the first time she was brainwashed. 

_What’s happening to me_ ?  
  
She couldn't stop the tears as they came. She’d never felt more ashamed, more humiliated, than she did just then. Even the pleasure singing through her body at her compliance and her honesty couldn’t stop the well of self-loathing that was consuming her. If anything, it only made it worse.  
  
Then Korra was there, pulling Asami into her arms, holding her tightly. Asami let herself be held, but couldn't bring herself to return the embrace. Her mind was spinning with a dozen different emotions. She felt Korra running her fingers through her hair, trying to whisper to her softly, to calm her down. “It’s okay,” she said. “It’s going to be okay.”  
  
Frustration welled up in Asami and she pushed away from Korra. She was stronger than Asami was, but she’d caught her off guard and she stepped away, staring at her girlfriend through her tears.  
  
“No it isn’t,” she said, finally voicing something she’d felt for so long. “How can any of this be okay? I lied to you Korra, I manipulated you! I was so ashamed of myself and my feelings, that I lied to the most important person in my life!”  
  
 _I am in love with Avatar Korra._  
  
 _Stop it!_ But her body was already reacting, delivering her that pleasure that had poisoned her mind. Her knees were weak and she leaned against the doorframe to support herself “It’s not your fault,” she heard Korra say, but Asami clenched her jaw, balling her fists in frustration.  
  
“Of course it is!” she said. “How can this _not_ be my fault? They raped me, Korra! _They raped me._ They took away my control, they took away my _mind_ . They made me feel this horrible, terrible, _incredible_ feeling and _forced me_ to obey them against my will! And now that I’m free, the only thing I want in the world is to be a fucking _slave_ again so that I can feel the way I felt before!" Korra was crying too, Asami noticed distantly, her tears falling silently as she watched Asami, one arm self-consciously covering her bare chest. 

_This was a mistake,_ she thought. _This was all a huge mistake. What have I done to us?_

She looked away. She couldn't look at Korra, _  
_  
“You did something to me, didn’t you?” she asked, her voice shaking. “Something we didn’t agree to?” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Korra flinch.  
  
“Yes,” Korra said, and Asami could hear the regret in her voice. The storm of feelings returned to her. Was she angry at Korra? That didn’t feel right. She was afraid, certainly, but what was she afraid of? That her girlfriend had taken advantage of her? Or was there more to it than that? 

That was a stupid question. Of course there was. It was the same fear that she’d felt last night. The same exhilarating, terrifying understanding she hadn’t been able to shake. She wanted more. Always more. Would it ever be enough? Would Korra understand if she asked her to strap her back into that machine and give her more commands? More incredible mantras for her to follow, any at all that she wanted?  
  
Did she want to be Korra’s slave?  
  
And if she did, if she told her, would Korra ever be able to respect her?  
  
It was too much. Asami needed to be somewhere else, anywhere else. She was staring at the ground near Korra, eyes downcast. “I...I can’t stop you if you want to ask me more questions, but I’d like to go now. If that’s okay.” She glanced at Korra and her heart went out as she saw the regret and pain in her girlfriend’s blue eyes. _I did this_ .  
  
She didn’t seem to be able to bring herself to speak, so she just nodded. Asami turned and left the bedroom, a fresh wave of tears threatening to break her resolve as she fled downstairs, out into the courtyard and to her waiting car. She tried desperately not to think as she turned the key in the ignition and pulled away from their house. 

It was easier not to think when she was focused on driving. A clarity of mind that had nothing to do with the droning the machine forced upon her. She kept her mind on the road, letting the wind whip through her hair, and pushing aside the intrusive thoughts telling her how badly she may have just ruined her relationship.


	4. Reflection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I haven't really been doing notes, but I wanted to say thanks for the overwhelmingly positive feedback and support! I also wanted to apologize a little - this is probably the least smutty chapter I've written so far. If you're here for sexy mind control, I promise there will be more in the chapters ahead. I apparently can't help but get caught up in feelings and emotions.
> 
> Anyways, hope you all enjoy!

Almost instinctively, Asami began to head towards downtown Republic City where Future Industries Headquarters was located. Part of her wondered if she should go into the office at all with her head the way it was. She and Korra had never had a fight before - if that had in fact been a fight. Asami wasn’t sure. She was beginning to realize just how short-sighted and potentially problematic tying such intense feelings of pleasure - and reciprocal pain - to something as volatile as an emotional response could be. If it had been a fight, was she not obeying properly? Would it hurt her if she got mad at Korra? And what if this drove a wedge between them that they couldn’t fix? She didn’t feel any pain yet, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a possibility.  
  
She’d lied to Korra. Korra had taken advantage of her trust. None of this would have happened if she hadn’t decided to build that damned machine in the first place. Asami couldn’t shake the feeling of intense guilt, but neither could she shake the desire deep inside of her for more.   
  
_More what, exactly?_ She bit her lip. She knew it was coming now. The mantra was making pathways of thought for her. More what? More pleasure. And what brought her pleasure?   
  
_I am in love with Avatar Korra._   
  
She shivered but bit down on her lip hard, the shock of pain keeping her alert as she continued to drive. That justified going to the office if nothing else. She didn’t need to be on the road right now.

She slowed down to take a turn, trying to think around her predicament in a way that wouldn’t set off another chain reaction like earlier. It was frightening how easily she’d lost herself in her mantra. She had hardly been in control of herself _before_ Korra had found her. After that...well, it was like she had been acting on instinct. No thought, just feeling. Anything to show Korra she loved-   
  
She couldn’t stop the thought and her mantra filled her mind once more. _I am in love with Avatar Korra_ . She bit her lip again, and again, the sharp pain helped keep her mind clear. But she could tell it was getting less effective.   
  
How could she let this happen? Why hadn’t she thought this through? All her cleverness, all her ingenuity, defeated by a single, all-consuming obsession with the most dehumanizing, traumatic experience of her entire life. She wiped bitter tears from her eyes. She was so sick of crying.   
  
Her thoughts were blissfully interrupted by her arrival at Future Industries HQ. The building was the largest in Republic City that had survived Kuvira’s Colossus. She got out of her car, slung her bag over her shoulder, and made her way inside, focusing her attention on listing the current projects the company was working on from memory and trying to prioritize which ones would require her focus.   
  
She nodded to the secretary at the front counter, who waved back at her with a polite smile. From there it was a lift ride up to her office on the fiftieth floor. The lift opened into a small lobby, tastefully decorated with a desk between the lift and her office door. Her personal secretary, a boy named Yu, sat there, looking up as she exited the lift.   
  
“Miss Sato?” he said. He was younger than Asami by a year or two. Slight of build, with short brown hair and matching brown eyes, he had applied as an intern from Ba Sing Se University’s new school of engineering. Asami had hired him a month or so before Korra had returned to Republic City from her three-year absence, and since then, circumstances had kept Asami from keeping regular hours at the office. She often felt sorry for him. He had been forced to shoulder an enormous amount of responsibility in a short period of time, but to her delight, he’d proven to be equal to the task. Not only did he keep her abreast of things going on at the company when she had to take extended absences, but he kept a master schedule of her appointments flexible enough to work with her unpredictability, and kept on top of project leaders for reports and deadlines that he made sure ended up in her inbox in a timely fashion. It was safe to say that Asami had only managed to keep a hold of her ever-growing company as well as she had because of him.   
  
“Hi Yu,” Asami said pleasantly. “Nothing on fire I hope?”   
  
He shook his head. “Like a well-oiled machine Miss Sato, though you’ve got a full inbox at the moment.”   
  
“I figured as much. Any meetings on the books?”   
  
“A lunch appointment Miss Sato, if you’re up for it. With Korak, from Satomobile Innovation.”   
  
Asami paused. “He’s the one who thinks he has a breakthrough on a more efficient combustion engine?”   
  
Yu nodded. “Yes Miss Sato.”   
  
“I’ll see him. Any others?”   
  
Yu rattled off a few. She rescheduled a handful of less important meetings and agreed to two more that afternoon. Getting lost in work would do her some good. She would have space from everything, and she could give Korra her space and time to think about things. That was all Asami needed. A clear head. After that they could talk properly, work all of this out. She loved her, she could-   
  
_I am in love with Avatar Korra_ .   
  
“Miss Sato? Are you okay?” Yu asked. Asami had leaned against his desk to support herself, biting her lip as she had in the car. “I’m fine Yu,” she lied, trying to wave away his concern. “I’ve been feeling under the weather, is all. I’ll be in my office if you need me.”   
  
She closed the door behind her, leaning against the wood, trying unsuccessfully to pick a train of thought that wouldn’t lead back to Korra. Unfortunately, not trying to think about Korra inevitably led to her thinking about Korra which lead to-   
  
_I am in love with Avatar Korra_ .   
  
Asami bit down on her finger to keep from moaning out loud. She had to make this stop. Korra had been angry at her. Korra had been disappointed in her. Maybe if she focused on that? She pictured the look of suspicion in her eyes, the hard resolve as she’d _made_ Asami tell her the truth. She had complete control over Asami. She wouldn’t have been able to stop herself if she wanted to. She let out a growl of frustration. This line of thought wasn’t helping for a completely different reason.   
  
Work. She needed to work. She took a few deep breaths, clearing her mind of everything else before settling in behind her desk and pulling the promised inbox full of budget requests, status reports, progress reports, and spirits only knew what else towards her. She let thoughts of Korra and her relationship fade to the background as she let herself live in the monotony of paperwork, grateful for the distraction.   
  
An ironic consequence of her experience and her desire to distract herself from the mess she was making of her homelife was that she was more focused than she had ever been on her work. By the time she left the office for her meeting with Korak, she was nearly three-quarters of the way through the pile of papers. She’d done nearly twice what she would usually get done in that amount of time. _Something like this would have been a much more constructive use of the machine_ , she thought bitterly to herself, but switched gears to her upcoming meeting before she could follow that strand of logic too far. 

How was she supposed to solve a problem that she could barely think about? Even thinking around the machine was dangerous. And unfortunately she found distracting herself in her meeting much less easy than it had been with the paperwork. Korak was originally from the Northern Water Tribe, and though the resemblance to Korra was superficial - both had their tribe's trademark dark skin and his braided dark hair was vaguely reminiscent of Korra's style from a few years ago - it was a lot easier to lose her train of thought being a listener than it had been when she was working. 

She tried to focus on what he was telling her. They'd situated themselves in one of the conference rooms with enough room for him to lay out blue prints and set up diagrams. It wasn't even that the material was boring. Asami lived for more efficient solutions to her problems. But every now and then she'd find herself staring a little past him and worrying about what would happen when she went home and saw Korra… 

"Miss Sato? You're bleeding. Are you okay?" 

After the fourth such lapse in concentration, she'd bit down hard enough on her lip to draw blood. She tasted its iron tang in her mouth, but even the sharp pain hadn’t been able to keep her entirely focused. She accepted a handkerchief from the man, waving off his concerns as she blotted her lip.   
  
“Sorry Korak, I just got a little swept up in your presentation, is all. I think you have a very promising start here. I’ll read over your proposal and get back to you soon, okay?” She felt guilty cutting the meeting short, but it was becoming obvious that if she didn’t deal with this sooner than later, her professional life was going to take an unacceptable hit.   
  
Her head was swimming by the time she got back to the lift. She was pinching herself with every other thought, her mantra threatening to consume her.   
  
_I am in love with Avatar Korra. I am in love with Avatar Korra_ . It was like a song she couldn’t get out of her head. The pinches she was giving herself were barely keeping her attention, and she had a sinking feeling that carrying on like this was going to make her develop some kind of conditioned masochism or something equally embarrassing.   
  
Yu was still on his lunch break when she returned to her office. She locked her door and sat behind her desk, tugging at her hair slightly.   
  
_I am in love with Avatar Korra. I love Korra. Spirits, I love her, I can’t stop myself, I love her, I love Korra, I love her…_ _  
_ _  
_ She didn’t know when she’d decided to start touching herself. She definitely wasn’t sure it was a good idea. Sure, last night she had been satisfied after a single orgasm, but this morning…   
  
It was too late to stop now. She tried to be discreet, lifting her skirt and sliding her hands down her tights and underwear rather than ripping them as she had before. She bit down on one hand as she slipped two fingers inside herself. She wasn’t looking to draw this out.   
  
_I love her. I’m in love with her. Please don’t let her be mad at me. I love her. Please forgive me Korra, I love you. I need you. Please don’t leave me. Please still love me._ Now that she wasn’t forcing her mind away from Korra, emotions and memories welled up that she had previously been trying to suppress. Tears began to run hot down her face as the heady pleasure of her obedience mingled with the heartache and confusion she was feeling in a cacophony of emotion that threatened to overwhelm her. 

She thought of the pain in Korra’s blue eyes when she’d walked away from her. She’d refused to talk to her, she had shut Korra out. The woman she loved. _I used you. I’m so sorry. I love you, I love you more than anything and I used you._ She should have told her from the very beginning. It seemed so clear now. What would an odd desire be compared to betrayal?

 _She betrayed you too,_ a small voice said in the back of her mind. _You didn’t give her what she wanted and she_ took _it from you._   
  
_What choice did I give her?_ Asami snapped back. _I love her. I’m in love with her. I love Korra. She would never hurt me. She was scared for me_.

She dimly realized, somewhere in the back of her exhausted, pleasure-addled brain that she should really be less okay with what Korra had done to her. Was it the brainwashing that made her less so? Was the order to love the Avatar so strong that it dulled anything that might lessen that love?  
  
 _Or is this just who I am? Is this something that’s been a part of me, a deep part of me, that I never knew existed until all of this?_

Her mind went back to her fantasy from the night before, the fantasy that had reared in her head so powerfully that morning. What if she gave herself to Korra? What if she let her do anything she liked to her in that machine? What if she gave away her ability to choose, to disobey? Would Korra take it from her? She had such a good heart. _I love her_ . Would she be willing to use Asami like that? _I’m in love with Avatar Korra_ . Would she _make_ Asami obey her? Against her will if it conflicted with Korra’s desires? That thought sent a shock of pleasure that was augmented by, yet separate from, the obedient pleasure running through her.   
  
_An image came to her, a scene in her mind: Korra landing on the balcony of her office, as she sometimes did to check on her. She strode in and stripped herself from the waist down, hoisting herself up on Asami’s desk, a confident grin on her face._ _  
_ _  
_ _“On your knees,” she said and Asami’s body tensed. She slid out of her chair without complaint, fear flooding her as she looked back at her unlocked office door._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Don’t worry about that,” Korra said, following her gaze, and suddenly Asami didn’t. On her knees, she was level with Korra’s sex. She could see it glistening, her dark curly hair well-maintained and inviting. “Good girl,” Korra said and Asami shivered._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Undress,” she said. And Asami couldn’t refuse. She shrugged out of her jacket and pulled her blouse off. She undid her bra leaving her bare-chested in her own office. “That’s enough,” Korra said and Asami stopped. She had no control._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Now make me scream,” Korra said and Asami felt her mouth watering._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Yes Mistress,” she said, droned really, her voice empty. Obedient. She was meant to obey Korra. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to Korra’s lower ones, her tongue sliding across her sex as her Mistress, her owner, the love of her life gripped her hair and called her a good, obedient girl..._

“Korra!” she gasped, shuddering as she came. She leaned against her desk, her body feeling exhausted. She shouldn’t be surprised. She’d lost track of how many orgasms she’d had today. Asami had stamina, sure, but everybody had their limit. She tried to breathe evenly. Even by her new standards, this one had been intense. That fantasy...was that the machine talking? Asami found it hard to believe.   
  
_It’s just me_ , she was forced to admit to herself. _It was just waiting inside me. The machine just showed it to me._ That thought at once made Asami feel better and worse. If it was part of who she was, it made it easier to stomach that she hadn’t been broken by her experience with Sheng’s machine. But at the same time, would Korra ever understand the part of her that needed this? The fear from before crept in.   
  
_Will she ever respect me?  
  
_ One thing was clear - there would be no pretending everything was fine. If she didn’t deal with this now, in one way or another, she wasn’t going to be able to function properly, whether it was at Future Industries or back at home. She needed to talk to Korra again. She should have never walked out on her. She’d have to explain herself, but then Korra could put her back in the machine and they could hit pause on all of this until they’d figured out what to do next.   
  
She took some stationary and a pen and wrote a letter to Yu, explaining that she wasn’t feeling as well as she had hoped. She wrote some instructions and attached the letter to a file with information on her afternoon’s meetings, asking him to sit in on them for her and to apologize for her absence. She left the letter and file on his desk as she left the building and returned to her car. She was tired, her limbs feeling heavy even as she made her way back to their neighborhood. But she welcomed the sluggishness to her thoughts as a way of dampening their intensity   
  
She stopped at their front gate, opening it up to drive her car inside and closing it once again after she was parked. Naga wasn’t in the courtyard, Asami realized belatedly as she opened the front door. Korra must have been out taking her for a walk. She would be home soon. She had to be.   
  
She decided she needed to lie down. Maybe a little extra sleep would help get her head on straight before Korra got back. She went upstairs and was considering whether it was worth the effort of undressing when she saw a note on her pillow, written in Korra’s heavy hand.   
  
_Asami,_

_I’m so sorry for what I did to you. I’m sorry I didn’t let you talk about this on your own time._

_I think Naga and I are going to spend a couple of nights on Air Temple Island. I think we both could use a little space._ _  
_ _  
_ _I know that there’s probably no way you can trust me right now, but I want you to know that I love you so much. I made a huge mistake, and I only hope you can forgive me for it._ _  
_ _  
_ _I’ll see you in a couple of days._ _  
_ _  
_ _\- Korra_

Asami’s heart sank. A couple of days? What would she be in a couple of days? In less than one she was already having a difficult time being a functional part of her company. How bad would the intrusive thoughts be in a few hours, let alone in two days?  
  
She read the letter again and again, perching herself on the edge of the bed to do so. The words made her heart twist as she absorbed them. It was worse than not being able to go back to normal. This would be the first significant time they’d spent apart since they moved in together, shortly after the last election. She remembered how nervous she’d been asking Korra to come stay with her at her family’s estate. She remembered their first night together.   
  
She’d expected the hot-blooded and wild tempered Korra to be eager to explore the physical aspect of their relationship. But Korra, always full of surprises, had blushed when Asami had come to her in a short, sheer nightgown. She had let Asami take her to bed, let her kiss her, even touch her. But when she’d tried to take things further, Korra had stopped her.   
  
_“I’m sorry,”_ she’d said. _“You’re so beautiful but...I’ve never...I haven’t really done this before.”_   
  
Asami had giggled. _“You know this is my first time with a woman too, right? I think we can figure it out together.”_

Korra had smiled, but blushed more deeply. _“No, I mean...I’ve never spent the night with anybody. Guy or girl.”_ _  
_ _  
_ Asami had raised an eyebrow. _“Even when you were dating Mako?”_   
  
Korra looked away and nodded. _“We had our own places. I’d come over and...you know. But I never stayed. I wanted to, sometimes, but I didn’t...I wasn’t sure how to ask.”_   
  
She’d looked so vulnerable at that moment. She had been tender and fragile and so completely open. That was the moment Asami knew how deeply Korra trusted her. She would never let anyone else see this. Anyone but Asami.   
  
She cupped Korra’s cheek and brought her blue eyes back to her green ones. _“We don’t have to do anything yet,”_ she assured her. _“We can just lie here together. Would you like that?_ ” She had seen tears at the corner of Korra’s eyes and she brushed them away with the pad of her thumb.   
  
_“I would,”_ she said, snuggling close to Asami, holding her tightly. _“I would love that.”_   
  
_I’m in love with Avatar Korra_.

The sheer exhaustion she felt blunted the resulting wave of obedient pleasure. She wiped tears from her eyes as she slid under the covers, only bothering to kick off her shoes. She lay on her side, staring at Korra’s pillow, the note clutched tightly in her hands. No matter what happened, no matter what she had to do, she would not allow herself to ruin what they had. Korra was her other half. She had known it for a long time now. Nearly since the moment she’d watched her sail away, broken, but undefeated, for the Southern Water Tribe almost four years ago.   
  
_I love you Korra_ , she thought as she let her eyes close and exhaustion take her. 

* * *

Korra sat on one of the cliff’s on Air Temple Island and stared out across the bay at the skyline of Republic City. She used to spend a lot of her time here when she’d first moved to the city. It had a great view of the Pro Bending Colosseum, though at the moment the building was under construction from damage it received during Kuvira’s attack. The rest of the buildings spread out in an impressive facade that had been an inspiration to her when she first arrived. It had been a city full of possibilities. It was her proving ground as the Avatar. Now it was her city to guard and protect. And for the first time in her life, she finally felt herself equal to the task. 

_And yet I can’t even keep my relationship from falling apart_ .   
  
She had left their house shortly after Asami. Despite its size, it had suddenly felt too claustrophobic. She’d needed space. She’d grabbed some clothes, written Asami a note, and saddled Naga, riding her to the bay. Instead of bothering with a ferry, she and Naga had leapt from the shipyard and plunged into the water itself, Naga swimming them to the island.   
  
She’d been greeted by some familiar faces as she arrived. Ikki and Meelo had rushed her nearly from the moment Naga climbed out of the bay, and they’d followed her all the way inside, rattling off a detailed summary of everything that had happened to them since the last time they’d seen her at top speed. She’d been greeted at the door by Pema and a few of the air acolytes who set about fussing over her, asking if she’d be staying for dinner, assuring her she would have a room if she needed it.

Her afternoon had passed in a pleasant blurr of catching up and socializing. The inevitable questions about where Asami was she deflected as best she could. She was busy at work, she had a project she couldn’t leave. Only Jinora didn’t seem to buy her excuses, and Korra made sure she was well out of earshot when she confirmed with Pema that she’d be staying the night. To her relief, she didn’t ask her any questions about it. Pema had always been good like that - supportive without being overbearing. Korra figured it had something to do with her three barely-controllable children. At some point, you just had to accept things the way they were.  
  
Korra agreed to help Tenzin with a demonstration for the new Airbenders. Even after all this time, people were still coming to Republic City seeking out guidance for their new abilities. It was inspiring, and Korra was happy to be a part of it. Dinner that night was a crowded affair, and Korra was able to listen more than talk. It was a distraction she sorely needed.   
  
But after dinner, with the Airbenders settling in for guided meditation and the rest of the household retreating to their own spaces, Korra found herself once more alone with her thoughts. That’s when she’d sought out her cliff, sitting with her knees drawn to her chest, trying not to think of the look of shock in Asami’s eyes when Korra had forced her to answer her questions.   
  
_“You did something to me, didn’t you? Something we didn’t agree to?”_

There was a disturbance in the air around her and Korra looked up. She saw a figure gliding towards her, then soaring over her head. She relaxed slightly as she recognized the figure - Opal Beifong. She wasn't wearing her usual wingsuit. She'd dressed down, in a pair of loose fitting pants and top, more like something she would have worn back in Zhoufu. She soared on a glider in more traditional Airbender fashion. Korra marveled that she had taken the time to learn how. The mechanics of using the glider were subtly different in a way that made mastering both difficult. It was one of the many reasons Korra had never bothered with the wingsuits. 

Opal soared over the bay before wheeling around and flying back towards Korra. She whirled her glider around her head, collapsing it back into a staff before sending out a gust of wind to cushion her landing on the hard earth next to Korra. She landed with a dancer's grace - unsurprisingly given her relation to Suyin. 

"Showoff," Korra said with a grin, stretching her legs to dangle over the cliff. 

"Not all of us judge our landing skills on how big of a crater we leave," Opal shot back with a grin. She set her staff aside and sat next to Korra on the cliff, watching the waves crash against the rocks below. Korra eyed her suspiciously. 

"What's up?" she said after a moment of silence. Opal just shrugged. 

"Nothing much. Jinora said you were up here sulking, so I thought you might want some company." 

Korra raised an eyebrow. "Jinora said I was 'sulking'?" Opal shrugged again. 

"What she actually said was that 'your aura looked dingy at dinner and then you'd come up here by yourself.' I was paraphrasing." 

Korra frowned. "My aura is not dingy!" She paused. "Whatever that's supposed to mean." Opal giggled and Korra felt herself smile despite herself. They sat a minute, watching the waves and listening to the sound of Tenzin leading the group meditation a little ways off, his voice carried by the ever present winds of the island. 

"I noticed Pema was preparing your old room," Opal finally said. Korra shifted uncomfortably, but she didn't say anything. "Does that mean Asami will be joining us soon?" she continued when Korra didn't speak. 

Korra hesitated. There was little point in playing dumb - Opal obviously already knew the answer. She sighed. "I don't think so, no," she said, keeping her eyes on the bay. 

Opal lay a hand on her knee and Korra knew she'd be looking at her with those too-understanding eyes. Green, almost like Asami's, but with a little gray in them. "Is everything okay with you two?" 

Korra gave a weak chuckle. "Did my dingy aura give it away?" 

Opal smiled gently. "You haven't visited the temple without her in months. Maybe since before you left for the South Pole." 

"Maybe I just missed you guys," Korra said, but the humor in her voice was forced. She sighed again and drew her knees back to her chest. "We had a fight. I think. It was kind of confusing. She left to go to work and I…I guess I just couldn't sit around and be alone worrying about it." 

"Like you are now?" Opal asked and Korra snorted. 

"Yeah. Like I am now." 

Another silence passed between them. "Do you want to talk about it?" she finally asked. Korra felt her face flush slightly. 

"I don't know Opal," she said. "Even if I did, I don't know where I'd start. It was a little, well, private." 

"Ahh," said Opal and Korra shot her a glance. There was too much amused knowledge in her eyes for Korra's liking. "Was this a bedroom dispute of some kind?" 

Korra's blush deepened. "What? What makes you say - I mean - why would you think -?" 

Opal held up a hand to interrupt her sputtering, laughing, though not cruelly. "It's okay Korra. You know that that's a normal part of relationships, right? Something you can talk about if you need to?" 

Korra turned away. "I wouldn't really know. I've only had one relationship before Asami. And when I was with Mako my only options for people to confide in were Mako's brother, Mako's ex-girlfriend and Tenzin. Not exactly spoiled for choices."   
  
Opal shifted closer to her and Korra felt her shoulder brushing against hers. “Well, that’s not the case anymore. Besides, you helped me out with all of my family drama when you barely even knew me. The least I can do is help you out now.”   
  
Korra felt a swell of affection towards Opal, but she was still hesitant. “I appreciate that, I really do. But this kind of thing feels...well, really personal.” She honestly wasn’t even sure if “bedroom dispute” covered what was going on between them. It felt...more than that somehow. Or maybe it only felt that way to Korra. She didn’t know how Asami felt exactly. That was the whole problem.   
  
“I don’t want to say something that Asami wouldn’t want me talking about,” she finally said. Opal looked pensive a moment.   
  
“Well, can you talk about it generally? I won’t pry, you just tell me what you feel comfortable telling me.” 

Korra considered the proposal, thoughtfully. She wondered if she could even manage to explain the situation properly without details. But maybe it was worth trying, if for no other reason than to ease the knot in her stomach she couldn’t get rid of. She looked up, meeting Opal’s eyes.   
  
“Okay, I can try.” She took a deep breath. “Asami and I were...trying something, I guess you could say. Things got a little out of hand. I thought that...I thought that she lied to me. Or, that maybe she hadn’t told me something important. I was frustrated, and hurt and I kind of, um, did something. Something I shouldn’t have done. Something that...um....”   
  
“Ignored a safeword?” Opal said helpfully. Korra’s face burned as she stared at Opal.   
  
“Ignored a- I’m sorry, what?” Her brain was breaking slightly. Opal rolled her eyes.   
  
“Oh come on Korra, I’m a grown woman, I know things about sex, okay?” She arched an eyebrow in a way that reminded Korra painfully, and _very_ unhelpfully, of her aunt, Lin. “You _do_ know I have a boyfriend, right?”   
  
Korra didn’t think it was possible for her to blush harder, but she did anyway. “Oh come ON! I do _not_ need to be picturing you and Bolin doing...things...that involve safewords!” She covered her burning face with her hands, trying to will away that particular mental image while Opal cackled beside her. 

“Oh come on, Korra,” she said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. “I know you grew up sheltered, but still. Besides, we don’t do any of that stuff. Yet.” Korra slammed her foot against the cliff and launched Opal backwards with a small burst of Earthbending. She landed a dozen yards or so away, light as a feather with her Airbending and skipped back over to the cliff. She seated herself on Korra’s other side, a bemused expression on her face.

“ _Anyways_ ,” Korra said, now desperate to talk about anything else in the world, “sure. It wasn’t exactly like that, but it was close enough. I broke her trust. And I feel awful about it! But...well, I mean, she wasn’t honest with me. How am I supposed to feel about that? It doesn’t justify what I did, not by a long shot but...it hurt.”

Opal sat for a minute in thought. “Did she tell you why she lied to you?”  
  
Asami’s face swam in her mind. There were tears in her eyes, her voice cracking with pain. _They raped me!_ Korra screwed her eyes shut. _And now that I’m free, the only thing I want in the world is to be a fucking slave again so that I can feel the way I felt before!_   
  
“She was ashamed, I think,” Korra said. “Ashamed of what she was feeling. Ashamed of the things she wanted.” _And afraid,_ Korra added privately to herself. She had been so afraid.   
  
She and Opal sat a few minutes more. The sun was lowering towards the horizon now, casting orange hues of sunset across the bay. She’d nearly forgotten Opal was there when she spoke again.   
  
“I won’t pretend that I know Asami terribly well. We were never really close that way. But, well, if you ask me, I think she’s probably just as confused right now as you are.” Korra looked at her, but Opal was looking out at the bay and didn’t meet her eyes. “It sounds to me like you both made a mistake, and I’d be willing to bet that Asami regrets her part in it as much as you regret yours." Korra didn't know what to say to that.   
  
“Do you love her?” Opal asked after another period of silence. The question wasn’t meant to be condescending, just innocently curios. She was looking at her now, and Korra didn’t have to think of the answer. It was already on her lips.   
  
“More than anything.”   
  
Opal smiled. “And if she’d been up front with you - if she hadn’t kept anything from you about whatever it is you guys fought about - would you have left her?”   
  
Korra thought about that question, but only for the span of a heartbeat. Would she still want to be with Asami if she’d told her how the machine had made her feel and that she’d wanted to feel it again from the start? Korra would have found it odd, and she definitely would have had about a hundred follow up questions, but would they make her want to leave Asami?   
  
“No,” Korra said confidently. “Of course not. I need her, Opal. She’s...she’s part of me.” It wasn’t the first time she’d had that thought, but that didn’t make it any less terrifying. Sometimes it felt like only yesterday when she had arrived in Republic City, ready to fix any problem it could throw at her single-handedly. How naive she had been. Now? A few hours of uncertainty had her feeling more anxious than she could ever remember being.   
  
Opal bumped her shoulder against Korra’s. “Then tell her that. Be open with her. My guess is, she’s probably pacing around your house right now worried herself about the exact same things you’re sitting here worrying about. And if anything, she’s even more anxious than you are.”   
  
Korra frowned. “Why do you think that?”   
  
Opal met her gaze. “You think she didn’t tell you the truth because she was ashamed of something, right? Then you two fought and she left and you came here?” Korra nodded again. Opal gave her a small smile.   
  
“So Asami came home, after a fight you two had that was indirectly caused by something she already feels ashamed of and you weren’t home…” She spoke gently, without accusation, but Korra felt a sharp pang of guilt regardless.

She cleared her throat. “I mean, I left a note…” Opal gave a small, exasperated sigh.   
  
“Hopeless. You’re absolutely hopeless.” Opal stood and stretched. Then, with a casual gesture, she flipped her staff from where it lay on the ground behind them into her hand with a gust of wind. She offered it to Korra.   
  
“Here. I’ll make up some excuse for the others. And I can take care of Naga for a bit.”   
  
Korra didn’t know what to say. She rose and took the glider. “Are you sure?” she asked. Opal smiled at her and nodded.   
  
“Positive. A few hours with no responsibilities might do you two a world of good.” She hugged Korra tight around the neck and she returned the embrace after a pause, squeezing her tight.   
  
“Thanks. I needed this.”   
  
“I know,” Opal said with another smile. She turned on one heel and skipped off towards the temple gardens where Tenzin was still meditating with his students. Korra turned away from them and looked across the bay.

Opal was right. This wasn’t where she needed to be right now. Whatever was happening, she and Asami had to work it out together. Running away wasn’t going to fix either of their problems.

She tapped the staff on the ground, and the wings of the glider emerged. It was slightly different from her glider - the one that had belonged to Avatar Aang - but it would function similarly enough. She looked towards her neighborhood and launched herself off the cliff, calling wind to fill the glider’s wings and carry her towards the city.  
  
Towards Asami. 


	5. Colors of Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good lord this chapter turned out long. The first part probably should have been at the end of the last chapter, but that's what you get when you write off-the-cuff with minimal planning. Also, I think this fic can officially be considered a slow-burn.
> 
> Hope you like it!

The sun had just vanished beneath the horizon by the time Korra reached their house. She landed lightly on the roof, spinning the glider in her hand and letting it collapse back into a staff once more. She let herself down onto the balcony and propped the borrowed staff up next to her own, then she undid the latch on the door with a little Metalbending, letting herself into the meditation room. 

She ventured out into the rest of the house. It was dark, but she'd know that flying in. There was only one light in the bedroom window. With that and Asami's car being parked by the fountain, Korra knew She was definitely home. 

Korra took a deep breath and held her hand out, palm up. A small fire crackled to life, cupped by her fingers and lighting her way as she took the stairs down to the second floor. She heard a noise coming from their bedroom, and the door was cracked, revealing soft lamplight spilling from within. Korra extinguished her flame and went to the door, peering in.  
  
Clothing littered the room. Asami’s clothes, Korra noted. Her shoes were set more or less neatly by the bed, but the rest looked like they’d been tossed carelessly away. She could hear Asami faintly. She was whimpering slightly, moving beneath the covers. It was like before, Korra thought. Like the last time she’d come home and found Asami masturbating in their bed.   
  
_How long has she been like this?_ Korra wondered. Asami’s voice spiked for a moment and she heard her own name on her lips. She shuddered beneath the covers, and she watched one hand move to cover her mouth as she moaned deeply. Then she went still, and Korra could hear...crying?   
  
“I love you Korra,” she heard Asami’s voice. She watched as she rolled over, burying her face in Korra’s pillow. “I love you, please come back, please come home. I love you, I’m sorry, I love you, love you...Korra…” Her voice lost its coherency as she descended into low moans once more, stifled this time by the pillow. Korra could see movement under the tangled sheets. She was touching herself again.   
  
_Asami…_

Korra drew back into the hallway. The last time she’d interrupted Asami like this, things had gotten way out of hand. What was happening to her? Korra wracked her brain, trying desperately to get a grip on things. What did she know? Asami had built the machine and wanted Korra to use it on her. She hadn’t told Korra the real reason she wanted to use it because it embarrassed her to admit. But the machine made you feel good. What were her exact words?  
  
 _The machine rewards compliance with pleasure_ . 

Asami had tricked her into giving her a new mantra, one that she’d heard her speaking that morning, heard her whispering against her skin. The reverence she’d said it with, the depth of devotion and pure arousal dripping from her voice still made Korra shiver, sending an unfamiliar thrill through her. 

“I’m in love with Korra,” she heard Asami groan, as if to confirm Korra’s line of thought. She’d rolled onto her back now, grasping fistfuls of the sheets which were only half-covering her, one long, pale leg stretching across their bed. She could see her fingers working in and out of her with almost machine-like efficiency. She was covered in sweat and between moans and pledges of love to Korra, she just whimpered, as if part of her wanted to stop. 

_So why doesn’t she?_

The easy answer came to her. _Because she can’t._

Asami’s voice cut out and Korra peered back in the room. She was arching her back, every muscle taught as she climaxed. Then, her body relaxed and she flopped back onto the bed, fingers still buried in her sex. Her head lolled to the side, her eyes only half-opened. If Korra had thought she’d looked intoxicated that morning, she looked even more so now. Her eyes were unfocused, her breathing heavy. Korra watched and saw her lips beginning to move. If she was speaking, it was so soft that Korra couldn’t hear it from the doorway, but she had a pretty good idea of what she was saying.  
  
 _I am in love with Avatar Korra_.

A deep pang of guilt hit her and Korra pushed the door open, rushing to the bed. She crouched down beside it, putting a hand on Asami’s cheek. She blinked once, slowly, and looked at Korra. She looked confused for a moment, lucidity almost returning to her gaze. Then her eyes unfocused once more as the sight of Korra sunk in and tears sprang to her eyes as she put a hand on Korra’s, gripping it tightly as if to prove she was real.  
  
“Korra?” she said, the word slurring slightly.   
  
“Hey ‘Sami,” Korra said brushing sweat drenched hair from her forehead. “I’m here, it’s okay.”   
  
Asami blinked again. It was like everything in her brain was moving sluggishly. “Am I dreaming?” she finally said, slowly.   
  
Korra blinked back tears. “No, you’re not. I’m back. I’m so sorry Asami, I shouldn’t have left. I didn’t know...didn’t know what was going on with you and I...I panicked. I’m sorry.”   
  
A few tears rolled down Asami’s cheek as she drew Korra’s hand to her lips, kissing her skin. She was almost fever-hot to the touch. “You came back,” she said, and the obvious pain in her voice was heartbreaking. “You came back. Please don’t hate me. Please don’t leave me. I love you- Ahh!” She shivered, her fingers moving between her legs again. “Love you,” she said, her eyes unfocusing again. “Love you Korra, Korra, please…” She reached for her and Korra let her pull her into a kiss. She let her, unable to refuse her. She’d abandoned her, and it was clear how badly that had been affecting her. Guilt stabbed her heart like a cold knife.   
  
But when Asami tried to deepen the kiss, Korra pulled away. She was stronger than Asami was, and she was in no shape to resist her anyways. Korra cradled her face in her hand while the other went to Asami’s wrist. She took it firmly and removed it from between her legs, bringing it instead to hold against her heart. Her fingers glistened, wet from her arousal, but she clung to Korra’s tunic regardless. Asami met her gaze, and though her expression was distant and empty, Korra thought she could see a hint of gratitude deep in her green eyes.   
  
“How can I help ‘Sami?” Korra asked. She brushed her fingers over Asami’s cheek. “How do I make this better?”   
  
Asami looked like she didn’t fully understand the question. “Love you,” she said weakly and Korra watched her eyes roll back in her head as she shivered again.   
  
“And I appreciate that,” Korra said with a hint of exasperation, “but right now I need you in your right mind, okay?” She didn’t get an answer. Asami’s free hand was now tugging unhelpfully at the hem of Korra’s tunic. Korra sighed.   
  
“Asami, I’m going to put you back in the machine, okay?” Asami’s eyes found her and they widened slightly. “Just to undo this, just so that we can talk. Is that okay?”   
  
Asami nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! Korra, please, I love you, make me yours, make me, I want it, please Korra, please…” The desire, the naked, desperate lust in Asami’s voice sent a shiver down her spine. She had never seen Asami like this. Part of her was disturbed by it. She seemed like a completely different person, nothing at all like the woman she fell in love with.   
  
But another part of her, a deep, repressed, unacknowledged part of her was...intrigued. She felt something stirring inside of her. What wouldn’t Asami agree to like this? What could she make her do? It was the same thrill of absolute power Korra had felt earlier when she’d demanded to know the truth.   
  
And if she did anything to act on it, she would regret it so much more. Whatever happened next, she wouldn’t violate Asami’s trust again. She wouldn’t be like the people who took away her control and made her feel helpless.   
  
“Come here, love,” she said and, with a small grunt of exertion, lifted Asami into her arms, sheets slipping off of her. Asami wasn’t small, but Korra wasn’t weak, either. She carried her easily down to her workshop, pausing only to fumble at the door to the basement. Asami held her, but not very tightly. She seemed exhausted, but that didn’t keep her from nuzzling against Korra’s neck, kissing her and whispering to her. Telling her she loved her. It was distractingly pleasant, but Korra kept her mind focused on what she knew she needed to do.   
  
Korra set Asami in the chair and she shivered at the touch of the cool metal against her bare skin. Korra made a mental note to suggest they put some kind of cushioning or padding on it for the future. She caught herself.   
  
_Am I planning on using it more in the future?_ She bit her lip. There would be time to think about that later. For now, she set to work putting the metal cage on Asami, strapping it into place and attaching the electrodes where she remembered them going. Asami wasn’t being particularly helpful. She was having a hard time sitting up straight, and she kept reaching between her legs or groping at her breasts, and that was when she wasn’t trying to kiss Korra or undress her. When she was finally certain that the cage was on right, she left Asami to go stand by the machine. She flipped open the sketchbook and began to adjust dials and levers to the first setting. Then she looked at the keypad next to the on switch.   
  
The keypad with a code she had specifically told Asami not to write down or share with her. She pinched the bridge of her nose. She wasn’t about to try and brute-force this thing. She returned to Asami’s side, kneeling beside her. She took her chin in her hands and brought her eyes to meet Korra’s. “‘Sami, I need to turn the machine on. I need the code to get in.”   
  
Asami looked confused. “I...I don’t...hard to think...love you…” she mumbled. She frowned. “I love Avatar Korra. I love you...don’t know...I love you…”   
  
Korra clenched her jaw. She never should have left her alone. She shouldn’t have let this happen. The signs from this morning had all been there for her to see, and she’d just run away when Asami clearly needed her. She held her gaze firm.   
  
“Asami, focus, please. Just look at me, okay?” Asami blinked a few times. Her breathing was shallow and looked like it was taking an effort, but her vision clarified a little. “I need to know how to turn on the machine,” she said again. “Tell me the code.”   
  
“Korra…” Asami looked at her with a brief moment of lucidity. She stared around at the workshop, fingers finding the straps of the cage on her head. “What’s...where are…?”   
  
“Asami. Focus.” This time, when Korra spoke, she tried to put some authority in her tone. She didn’t yell, didn’t raise her voice. She just spoke...forcefully. As if she expected Asami to do what she said. Asami blinked a few more times and nodded her head slowly.   
  
“Focus...okay.” Her voice still sounded a little dreamy, but she looked more clear headed than Korra had seen her so far. “Korra...I think I made a mistake,” she said, blushing.   
  
Korra gave a short laugh despite herself. “It’s okay ‘Sami. We’re going to be okay. But first I have to turn the machine on. Can you help me?”   
  
She nodded again. “Code. You need the code, love. I love-”   
  
“Asami,” Korra said again with that same ringing authority. “Tell me the code.”   
  
Asami screwed her eyes shut, concentrating. “Nine...four...six, two...eight, seven,” she began to list the numbers off. Each number seemed to cost her something, her face screwed up, almost pained looking. Korra moved from her side to type them in, knowing that her own memorization skills were useless at anything that she couldn’t commit to muscle memory. She pushed the on switch when Asami was finished, and to her relief, the machine came to life with a mechanical humming sound. Asami had leaned back in the chair, breathing heavily.   
  
“I’m going to turn it on now,” Korra said, putting her hand on the lever. “Are you...is that okay?” Even with Asami the way she was, Korra hesitated. The last time she’d done this, she’d abused her power. She shouldn’t be doing it again. She couldn’t be trusted.   
  
And yet, when Asami looked at her, she didn’t see accusation, or hesitance. She didn’t see fear or trepidation. She just saw love. “It’s okay Korra,” she said. “I trust you.”   
  
Korra blinked back hot tears and nodded, gratefully. She pulled the lever.   
  


* * *

  
Asami woke in her bed. Light streamed through the windows, indicating that it was later in the morning than she usually rose. Her head was pounding, and as she shifted her legs, she realized she was _very_ sore. She closed her eyes against the intrusive sunlight and tried to gather her thoughts. They seemed to be coming to her very slowly. What had happened yesterday? She’d woken up, got ready for work and then got...distracted.   
  
She shook her head, mentally skipping over the next part. She didn’t want to have to deal with that right now. She and Korra had fought. She remembered now. She’d tried to go to work - she skipped over that too - then come home. Korra had been gone. Then she’d...gotten lost.   
  
_I am in love with Avatar Korra_ .   
  
She tensed up against the anticipated wave of obedient pleasure...but it didn’t come. She relaxed. That was odd. It was so strong yesterday. She’d woken from her sleep unable to think about anything else. It had seemed too difficult to resist, so she’d surrendered to the mantra, drifting in and out of sleep as she fucked herself senseless. It had been so vivid. She’d even dreamed about Korra. Dreamed she’d picked her up and taken her to the machine…   
  
Asami sat bolt upright. The sheets slid off her naked body and she looked beside her. The sudden movement woke Korra who jerked upright, looking around. “Asami?” she said, finding her. “Is everything okay?”   
  
Asami stared at her. Then she flung her arms around Korra, driving her back into the mattress as she buried her face in her neck.   
  
“You came back,” she said, squeezing her tightly. She felt Korra’s arms wrap around her, firm but gentle. She was stroking her back with long, soothing movements.   
  
“Of course I did. I shouldn’t have left in the first place. I’m so sorry.”   
  
Asami lifted herself, wiping tears from her eyes. When did she get this weepy? “You don’t have anything to apologize for,” she said firmly, but Korra looked away.   
  
“Of course I do.” She pushed herself up on her elbows and Asami sat back on her knees, looking at her. She was dressed for sleep in her usual tank top and loose pants. Asami lifted the sheet to cover herself, less for modesty and more to signify that she understood the nature of the conversation they needed to have.   
  
“I lied to you,” Asami said, her voice small. “You wouldn’t have had to do what you did if I hadn’t.” Korra looked up at her, a fierce determination blazing in her eyes.   
  
“That does not make what I did okay,” she said. “Asami, you trusted me. You gave me explicit directions. We established a boundary and then I ignored it. Nothing you could say, nothing you could do, nothing in this whole world, justifies me using you like that without your consent.” She sat up more, leaning her back against the headboard, still looking at Asami with fire in her blue eyes. “I won’t be like the people who hurt you. I will _never_ be like them. And I won’t make excuses for why I did what I did.” She blinked and Asami watched a single tear roll down her cheek.   
  
“All I can do is apologize, and swear to you that I will never do anything like that again. No matter how small, or mundane. Your mind, your body, your decisions. Always.”   
  
Asami was at a loss for words. She felt her heart swelling with emotion. She let the sheet fall as she leaned forward and took Korra’s face in her hands, kissing her deeply. Korra returned the kiss, wrapping Asami in her arms, drawing her into her lap, holding her close. Asami broke it after a minute, resting her forehead against Korra’s. She wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, Korra holding her in her strong arms.   
  
“I accept your apology,” Asami said softly. She felt Korra relax slightly. “But I’m not faultless in all of this,” she continued. She drew back, looking deep into the beautiful blue eyes she loved so much. “I’m sorry I lied to you. I...I was afraid of what you’d think of me if I told you the truth.”   
  
Korra gave her a soft smile. “I forgive you. I probably shouldn’t have been so uptight about everything in the first place. I trust you, completely. I always will.” Asami shook her head.   
  
“You had every right to be skeptical. You were right - that machine has been used for terrible, inhumane things. But…” she felt a lump rising in her throat and she looked away from Korra. She had to tell her, she had to be honest. This was never going to work if she didn’t. She had hated keeping things from Korra before, and she wouldn’t let herself do it again. “There’s something...wrong with me,” she said. “Something about me that...that wants to feel that way. Not the same way as before, obviously. But I liked...being controlled...by you.” She was blushing furiously, she could feel the heat in her cheeks as she shut her eyes. She didn’t want to look at Korra, didn’t want to see the shock and horror she must be showing on her face.   
  
But Korra didn’t pull away from her. She didn’t push her aside and look at her with confusion or disgust. Instead, Asami felt her cup her cheek and she opened her eyes slowly. Korra was just...watching her. Her expression was calm and steady. Asami blinked.   
  
“Okay,” Korra said softly. “I’m going to have a lot of questions, and I’m going to want to make sure we take things very slowly and think it through carefully but...if that’s something you want Asami, something you feel like you need to experiment with,” Korra shrugged. “Who am I to say no?”   
  
Asami gaped at her. “Korra I...you don’t have to. It’s not right, I shouldn’t want that. I shouldn’t want to ever feel like that. After everything that happened to me...what does it say about me that I’ve turned it into some kind of...of...twisted fascination?” Shame beat disbelief as it burned in her chest. “I couldn’t even get it right last time. I ended up giving myself a damn compulsion! I was even less functional then when I was being controlled by Guan! There’s something _broken_ inside me Korra, no normal person would _feitshize_ their abuse!”   
  
Yet still, Korra didn’t pull away. Instead, she drew Asami close, kissing her again, silencing her, soothing her. When she drew away, she was still looking at Asami with that same steady gaze. “First of all, the last thing you tried, you were trying to be sneaky about it. This time, we’ll be working on it together. And secondly, there is nothing wrong with you,” she smiled at her. “It’s unusual, sure. But that doesn’t make it wrong, and it doesn’t change _anything_ about the way I feel about you. You are not broken. I need you to believe that.”   
  


Asami didn’t know what to say. She blinked back tears, just watching Korra, waiting for her to crack, for her to look at her the way she should. To realize how fucked up what she felt really was. But she didn’t. And her steady conviction was like a lifeline in a raging storm. Asami hadn’t even realized she was holding her breath as she released it, nodding her head almost imperceptibly. Korra’s smile widened and Asami found herself smiling back.  
  
“I really love you, Asami,” Korra said.   
  
Asami gave a weak chuckle. “I love you too. But I guess you knew that by now.” Her body reflexively tensed up again, waiting for the wave of pleasure that didn’t come. She must have made a face of some kind because Korra frowned.   
  
“I thought I took care of that last night,” she said.   
  
“You did!” Asami said quickly. “Just, a reflex, kind of. I had to deal with…a lot yesterday. I actually don’t even really remember you coming home that well. It’s all pretty much a blur.” She felt her blush deepen and she knew that even the top of her chest must be red by now. Sometimes she hated being so pale. “Mind filling in the gaps for me?” she mumbled.   
  
Korra smiled and kissed her one more time. “Over breakfast. I need something to eat.” Her eyes flickered downward and Asami saw desire stir in her eyes as she looked at her naked body. “Of course, there are other things I could eat,” she said with a wink.   
  
Asami laughed and pushed her lightly before rolling off of her. “I think I need a break for a little bit,” she admitted. “I don’t know exactly how many times I got myself off yesterday but it must have been some kind of record.” She winced as she stood, crossing to her dresser to extract a dressing gown. She tossed it over her head and slipped on a long robe against the end of autumn chill.   
  
Relief almost made Asami dizzy as they made their way downstairs to the kitchen. Korra was still here. Better than that, she was here, and things felt normal as they poked fun at one another, and chatted about banal nonsense. Even if one didn’t count the last disastrous twenty four hours, things had been a little rocky between them for a while. The weeks of working on a secret project in the lab, and another week of Korra grappling with what Asami had asked her to do had taken their toll. There had been a lot of unspoken awkwardness hanging in the air between them for far too long. And then there had been a few hours when Asami had been certain that she’d ruined this for good, ruined their chance at a relationship. Having her back and seeing her smile at her, laughing with her as they moved around the kitchen together lifted a crushing pressure Asami hadn’t even noticed was weighing down her heart.   
  
As they sat down with plates of toast, bacon and a mug of tea each, Korra filled her in on what had happened last night. Asami was embarrassed at how unable she had been to keep her composure, but when Korra said that being firm with her had seemed to make her more lucid, she felt her heartbeat quicken.   
  
“After we got the machine on, I used modified versions of the phrases Kuvira used last time,” Korra said. “I don’t think I did a very precise job. I’m pretty sure the failsafe is gone too. But I figured it was easy enough to replace, and I really didn’t want to risk screwing something up.” She paused to wolf down a piece of bacon. “When I switched off the machine, you were really out of it. I had to carry you back upstairs and put you to bed. I figured you needed the rest.”   
  
“I did,” Asami said, taking a small bite of toast. There was no use in hiding anything now. Korra deserved nothing but complete honesty from her. “I thought by giving myself a mantra, something that I already thought or already felt, that I could use it to feel what I wanted to feel at will. It was a way to give myself a dose of what I felt before in a way that wasn’t so...horrible to live through.” She shook her head. “But the longer I had it, the more difficult it was to resist using it. It was addicting. I just wanted more and more.” She swallowed and looked at her plate. “Part of me still wants more,” she admitted in a small voice.   
  
“Well,” Korra said, thoughtfully, “we’ll just have to make sure that next time, whatever mantras or commands you’re given can’t be self...activated? Triggered? I don’t know the right turn of phrase.”   
  
Asami looked up at Korra. She seemed so serious. “Korra...you’re being incredibly understanding about all of this, and I appreciate it, but really, we don’t have to do this. We should probably just get rid of that machine, it’s been nothing but trouble.”   
  
Korra shrugged. “If you decide that’s really what you want to do, then I’ll support you. But you did go through a lot of trouble to build it in the first place, and one slightly botched experiment notwithstanding, you still really haven’t gotten to try it the way it sounds like you want to.” She reached across the table and took Asami’s hand.   
  
“I’m here for you,” she said. “I meant what I said before. If this is something you feel like you need, then I’ll help.”   
  
Asami squeezed Korra’s fingers, then slid her hand free of her grasp. She looked back at her plate as she ate another few bites in silence. Was it really that simple? After all the trouble she’d caused, would it really be that easy for Korra to accept this? To accept her?   
  
“I left Naga on Air Temple Island,” Korra said after a few minutes. “Opal said she’d look after her for me for a bit.” She paused. “Do you think you’ll try and go into the office today?”   
  
Asami didn’t answer immediately. There was an unspoken offer in the question. Asami’s heart was thundering in her chest, and despite her overload yesterday, she could feel a heat smouldering inside of her.   
  
“I…” she said, hesitantly. “I guess tomorrow is the weekend. I could just...go in first thing next week and start to catch up.”   
  
Korra beamed at her and Asami returned the smile. Korra stood and gathered their now empty plates, pausing to kiss Asami on the head before heading towards the kitchen. “So,” she said from the other room, “how do you want to start with all of this?”   
  
Asami rose and followed Korra with their mugs. Korra was leaning against the counter, arms crossed over her chest in a way that accentuated the muscles in her arms, something Asami was all too aware of in the moment as she started rinsing out the dishes she held. 

She considered the question carefully. It felt surreal to her. So far, her thoughts on the use of the machine had all been focused on ways to use it that would be subtle, or discreet. That wasn’t much of a concern now. But how much could she really ask for? What would Korra be willing to give?  
  
 _What will she be willing to take?_   
  
Asami took a deep breath and set the mugs aside to dry. _Honesty_ , she reminded herself. It seemed foolish that she had ever thought she would be able to simultaneously keep things from Korra and open her mind to her complete control at the same time without something going amiss.   
  
“I think you’re right that whatever we do, I shouldn’t be able to...trigger myself,” she said carefully. “And whatever we do, I don’t want it to be permanent. I still want to be me most of the time.”   
  
She saw Korra’s shoulders drop a fraction of an inch and she nodded, looking relieved. “I want that too.”   
  
Asami looked at her. This was going to be the tricky part. She chewed her lower lip anxiously, flinching slightly as she put pressure on the bruise from yesterday. Korra took her hand, giving her that same steady gaze of loving support. She needed that. She held onto it. _Trust her_ , she told herself.   
  
Korra smiled reassuringly at her. “You can say whatever you’re thinking,” Korra said, as if she had read her mind. She took Asami’s hand. “I’m not going anywhere. Worst case scenario, I’ll tell you it makes me uncomfortable, okay?”   
  
Asami looked at their clasped hands and nodded. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steadying herself. “When we...when we’re doing whatever we do, I want you to have complete control over me.” Her face was burning but she forced herself to continue. “I want you to do whatever it is you want with me, regardless of how I feel about it.”   
  
She felt Korra tense beside her. Asami looked up and saw a look of uncertainty on Korra’s face. “Um, not to be a total downer or anything, but isn’t that kind of part of the problem we had yesterday?”   
  
Asami chewed her lip and winced as she bit down on the place she’d bled the day before. How could she make her understand? Especially when Asami herself barely understood her own desires.   
  
“I don’t see them as the same thing,” she said, though she couldn’t have said why. “I wouldn’t want this to be something you could do to me at any time. Rather, within agreed upon and predetermined times, I would be yours. Totally and completely yours, with you allowed to do anything to me in those times without having to worry about my consent.” Shame burned inside of her, but she needed to be honest. Completely honest this time. If Korra wasn’t comfortable with it, she wasn’t comfortable with it. She couldn’t help that. But just like Korra was respecting her choices, Asami had to respect Korra’s. No lies. No manipulations.   
  
She risked a glance at her girlfriend. She looked...pensive. A little troubled, maybe, but not afraid. Not repulsed. Asami shook that thought from her head. _She won’t. She loves you. Trust her._ She was still here. She wasn’t going anywhere.   
  
“That’s a lot of responsibility ‘Sami,” Korra said after a moment, echoing her sentiment from two nights ago. Asami nodded.   
  
“I know,” she said softly.   
  
“You gave me a lot less responsibility than this last time, and I managed to make a pretty big mess out of that. Besides, taking away your consent...I don’t know if I can do that again.”

It was times like these that she wished she could be more like her girlfriend. Asami had a frustrating habit of trying to intellectualize everything, to ignore her instincts when it came to navigating tricky things like feelings and emotions. Or when she did act on them, they usually led her to making the wrong decisions. But Korra, well, Korra always spoke her mind. No matter how blunt, or how hard, Korra always wore her heart on her sleeve. It had led to her getting hurt before, Asami knew, but she found it to be the more admirable trait. Sometimes Asami felt that she had so many walls up, it was a miracle she’d ever been able to let Korra into her life in the first place. Asami closed her eyes. This line of thought wasn’t helping.  
  
Korra didn’t rush her, or pressure her to speak, which Asami deeply appreciated as thoughts swirled in her head, mingling with still new and confusing emotions and desires.   
  
What was the difference? Was it really the same thing as the command Korra had given her for honesty? Would there always be that sense of betrayal accompanying her deepest, darkest desires? Some instinct was telling Asami no. But why not? She thought about her fantasies. She thought of the way Korra _made_ her obey in them, using her however she wished. She made herself think about what had happened to her before all of this. She thought about being forced into Sheng’s machine. She pictured Korra as she’d stood by the panel only two nights ago. She remembered the deep look of concern in her eyes as she’d asked Asami one last time.

_“Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?”_

She opened her eyes. That was it. That was the difference. It was so simple. Why hadn’t she been able to articulate it before? She looked at Korra, looked at the incredible woman she loved so deeply it was like an ache inside of her. The woman she trusted with her life. As she took a moment to appreciate her, to appreciate the beauty that she was, she felt all of the shame that was knotted up in her stomach beginning to evaporate. How could she have ever felt it before? Something of Asami’s swelling heart must have shown on her face, because Korra raised an eyebrow questioningly. Still, she didn’t interrupt her thoughts.  
  
Asami gave her a warm smile. “You wouldn’t be taking it,” she said gently. She was blushing still, but it was different now. The tension inside of her had been replaced by butterflies. She felt like a little girl about to tell her crush that she liked them. It was an absurd comparison, but Asami couldn’t imagine anything more apt. Everything Korra had said to her, the fact that she was still here with her, talking to her, meant more to her than she ever could have said. She didn’t feel so broken anymore. She moved closer to Korra, taking her hand gently and putting it over her heart.   
  
“You can’t take something that’s given to you freely.” Asami looked deep into Korra’s eyes and saw a hint of understanding blossoming there. “That’s what I want, Korra. That’s the difference. I want to _give_ myself to you. All of me. I want to _belong_ to you.”   
  
For the span of a heartbeat that felt like an eternity, neither of them said anything. Korra blinked, her mouth opening as if she was going to say something that got lost on the way to her lips. And Asami saw something there, something in Korra’s eyes that made her heart feel like it had stopped. _Lust_ . A kind of deep, primal lust that Asami had never seen in her girlfriend’s expression before. She felt a warmth on her chest and realized that Korra’s skin was literally heating up. Her breathing was shallow, her pupils dilated. Asami’s eyes widened in surprise. Then she smiled a slow, smoldering smile, staring at Korra through heavy lids and long eyelashes.   
  
“I think you like that idea,” Asami said, her voice dropping to a low, sultry tone as she pressed her body against Korra. As if by instinct, Korra’s free hand slid around Asami’s waist and grabbed her ass, squeezing it. She was _so_ warm. Was she Firebending? Without realizing it? That might have some interesting applications, Asami thought privately. She released Korra’s hand over her heart and it immediately slid into her robe, cupping her breast. Asami closed her eyes, giving in to the way Korra’s warm hands felt on her body.   
  
“Korra,” she said softly, reverently, and she heard a slight gasp from her girlfriend. Asami put a hand on her cheek - it was warm too - and looked into her eyes. “Will you take me?” she asked, pouting slightly. “Will you have me...Mistress?” she asked and the lust in Korra’s eyes burned brighter as she pulled Asami into a searing, white-hot kiss. She moaned into Korra’s mouth, body melting against her immediately, offering no resistance. She was so _warm_ , so _strong_ . Asami let Korra kiss her, felt her tongue as it slid past her lips. She felt Korra turn her around, pushing her up against the cabinets, pushing her robe down over her arms, pinning them beside her as she kissed her neck, her chest, the tops of her breasts. Asami moaned softly.   
  
But when she reached between Asami’s legs, she flinched and gave a sharp cry of discomfort and Korra immediately stopped. She allowed herself a moment to marvel at the fact that Korra knew the difference between the kind of pain Asami liked - little things like having her hair pulled or the occasional nip of her teeth - and the kind of pain that meant they needed to pause.   
  
“Sorry,” Asami said sincerely. “Like I said, kind of sore from yesterday.”   
  
Korra blinked, blushing slightly. “Right, sorry. I should have remembered. I just got...kind of carried away.” She seemed embarrassed. She looked at her hands and suddenly the unnatural warmth of them faded.   
  
Asami kissed her lightly on the cheek as she shrugged her robe back on. “I could tell.” She felt lighter than air. Seeing Korra’s reaction to her proposal, to the way she’d finally found to express herself, had turned her doubts to ash. It was unusual, yes. Would she have discovered this part of her without the trauma she’d experienced? Maybe not.   
  
But suddenly, it didn’t seem like a defect within her. It wasn’t something that belonged to her abusers. It was part of her, and hers to share with whomever she pleased.   
  
And she wanted to share it with Korra.

But it wasn’t just her decision to make. She tucked a loose strand of Korra’s short hair behind her ear. “So...what do you think?”  
  
Korra was breathing more deeply, but her pupils were still wide, and she was still looking at Asami with what could only be described as hunger. It made her shiver. Korra had never looked at her like that before. She’d looked at her like she was beautiful, like she was a treasure, with love and adoration. She’d looked at her with need, with lust, with desire. But this was _more_ somehow. And it made Asami feel weak in the knees.   
  
“I suppose we can give it a try,” she said with a playful smile.   
  


* * *

  
They spent the rest of the day talking. Well, mostly talking. There was a fair amount of making out and petting interspersed within the talking. Korra didn’t think they’d been this all over each other since the early weeks of their relationship, when everything had been so new and experimental. But it was different, to. They didn’t have sex, despite their mutual desires. Asami needed a break still, and Korra had never felt good about not being able to reciprocate. Besides, it would make whatever came next more exciting if there was some buildup, they had decided.   
  
Asami had taken a fresh notebook from down in her study and started keeping a journal. Korra had called her a massive dork. Asami had assured her that she was _Korra’s_ dork, and that writing things down would help establish firm barriers. Korra hadn’t had a clever response to that so she’d kissed her instead and they’d spent a quarter of an hour making out on their living room couch.   
  
But after that, they’d started brainstorming and writing down ideas. As always, Korra had to marvel at the mind of the woman she loved. There didn’t seem to be a single problem in the world that she couldn’t apply herself to with her cool and efficient logic. Korra was mainly a sounding board as Asami wove together ideas of how to effectively give her commands or how to differentiate between what she was now referring to as a ‘session’ and their normal, everyday life.   
  
She spent a lot of their discussion blushing, her cheeks flushed pink and occasionally deepening to a darker shade. But there wasn’t the same sense of shame or self-loathing that Korra had sensed from her the day before. It wasn’t even the same kind of embarrassment she’d shown that morning when she had finally been open with Korra about her desires. It was milder, without judgment. It was the same way she’d looked when she’d told Korra she could tug her hair in bed if she wanted, or when she’d assured Korra that she’d like it the first time she’d bitten down on her hard enough to make her cry out. She wasn’t judging herself anymore, or at least, she wasn’t judging herself nearly as harshly.   
  
And with Asami’s growing comfort, Korra felt herself put at ease as well. The more they talked about it, the less it seemed like some strange, alien thing. Hell, Korra had read about stuff that wasn’t too dissimilar to the things they were discussing in one or two of the romance novels she’d found hidden in Jinora’s room (which she had immediately confiscated - though she never turned them over to Pema). It was an intimacy that Korra was unfamiliar with, sure, but she could no longer deny her own attraction to the role Asami would have her play.   
  
_Mistress_ .   
  
The word had set Korra on fire in a way she had never felt before. It was the same thrill she’d felt commanding Asami to obey her before, but with none of the trust violation and soul-crushing guilt. She had been right - as she always was. There was a difference between taking away her consent and having it given to her.   
  
And there was a part of her that _very much_ wanted to be given it. 

Around midafternoon, Korra flew back to Air Temple Island to return Opal’s glider. She was thrilled when Korra told her that they’d ironed things out and was more than happy to keep watching Naga for the weekend. She had been enjoying herself at the time, chasing balls thrown hundreds of feet at a time by practicing Airbenders under the stern supervision of Meelo.  
  
When she returned, she found Asami in the den, writing in the journal. They'd filled a few pages, though a lot of it was scratched out or re-written elsewhere in a neater hand. Usually Asami's. Korra had never had the best penmanship. 

Asami put down the pen, flexing her hand slightly as Korra entered the room. "I think that's just about everything, she said brightly. She was in a sleeveless top and a slim, well fitted skirt that Korra could only assume she'd put on for her benefit. It was tight enough that just standing and moving around distracted Korra, and without her usual tights beneath it, it left about a mile of smooth, pale leg showing that she kept stretching out in a way that was surely meant to draw the eye. 

Korra draped herself over Asami's shoulders and looked at the notebook. "I see you re-wrote the oasis part," she noted. It was much cleaner now, more elegant. The original idea had been Korra's, but she was glad for her girlfriend's revisions. "Is the rest of it the same?" 

"More or less," Asami said. "I thought it might be helpful to have everything in one place so you don't have to flip through pages." 

"Makes sense," she said, running her hands over Asami's arms. She hummed contentedly and leaned her head back against her chest, the floral, jasmine scent of her hair suddenly consuming Korra. 

"You're heart's beating fast," Asami noted in a soft voice. Korra snorted. 

"You fly from here to Air Temple Island and back, then," she said with a faux haughtiness. 

Asami just nuzzled against her. "Is that the only reason?" she asked, the question almost too innocent. Korra blushed. 

"No," she said quietly. Asami hummed again in satisfaction. 

"Do you want me?" she asked, and her voice did that thing where it got deeper somehow. It was soft and throaty and it made Korra feel like something warm and liquid was spreading sinfully slowly through her brain, robbing her of the ability to think clearly. Wasn’t she supposed to be the one in charge? 

"Always," she said, cursing the hitch in her voice as she spoke. How was Asami so smooth and she was so…her? 

Asami turned and placed her lips against the pulse in Korra's throat and she groaned involuntarily. "I'm regretting telling you how much I like that," she lied, drawing a quiet little laugh from Asami that drove her wild. 

She kissed her again, higher on her neck, those perfect damn legs _stretching_ beneath the desk as she extended herself. Her lips found Korra's jaw. There she was stopped, unable to reach any higher. She pouted slightly and made the tiniest whimpering sound. That, Korra decided, was entirely unfair. She looked down slightly, not enough to bridge the gap between their lips, and raised an eyebrow. 

"Can I help you?" Korra asked, trying to capture some of the same innocence Asami had wielded so effortlessly before. She only whimpered in response again. 

"Use your words," Korra said, and she was pleased to hear that her voice sounded strong and firm. "Ask for what you want." 

Asami didn't open her eyes, but a slow smile spread across her lips. "Kiss me," she said, her voice dripping with need. "Please…" 

She was sure that someone better at this than her may have made some snarky comment about her good manners, but Korra simply obliged her, leaning over and pressing her lips to Asami's gently. They were so soft and warm. Korra didn't think she would ever get tired of kissing her. Heat flared deep in her stomach and she decided to wrest just a fraction of control back. Delicately, careful not to put pressure on the small bruise on Asami's lip where she'd bit it yesterday, she sucked her lower lip. She dragged her tongue across it, sucking a little harder, drawing a sound from Asami that was halfway between a purr and a hum. 

She broke the kiss and met Asami's gaze. Her beautiful green eyes were reduced to a slender ring of color as she looked at Korra with wide, dark pupils. Her breathing was heavy, chest rising and falling appealingly. She licked her lip suggestively, then, in her most seductive voice said: "Put me under." 

_Under._ That was the term they had landed on. Asami had picked up quickly that it still made Korra uncomfortable when they had referred to putting her in the machine. It felt…too clinical somehow. Asami had tried a few different turns of phrase, but that was the one that had stuck. Under the influence, under Korra's control. 

_Under._

The heat in Korra's stomach blossomed, spreading throughout her whole body. Part of her screamed to sweep Asami into her arms and take her downstairs _that very moment_ , but she paused, collecting herself. 

"Are you sure?" she heard herself say. 

Asami nodded, twisted half around in her chair, eyes locked on Korra's. She took the notebook off the table and pressed it to her chest, never once breaking eye contact. "Yes," she said firmly. "I think we’ve covered everything we need to for now. I feel comfortable. I'm ready. As long as you are." 

Korra cupped her cheek tenderly, ignoring the raging inferno inside of her as she gave Asami another long, indulgent kiss. 

"Okay," she said softly. She took Asami's hand, holding the journal in her other. They left the den like that, and to Korra, it seemed the relatively short trip down to the workshop took hours rather than minutes. She wondered idly how the machine that had scared her so badly just two days before now looked...not inviting, exactly, but captivating. There was an allure to it that Korra couldn't quite explain. It was dangerous and thrilling. It was…taboo. Maybe that was it. The knife's edge they were walking together. She felt Asami's hand tighten in her grip and wondered if she felt the same way, or if Korra had just read one too many forbidden romance novels. 

They had already discussed at length how they would set up. Neither of them were sure how often they were going to use the machine. The things they were going to do now should cover a lot of ground. But Korra had wanted to establish a routine anyways after the mess of the night before. 

Asami put in the pass code. Even if Korra had been making an attempt to remember it last night, the circumstances would have made it next to impossible. It was better this way. Once the machine had hummed to life, Asami seated herself in the chair and began to fasten the cage on her head. Korra occupied herself by setting the machine to its first setting, checking herself against the sketchbook. She then placed the journal and the sketchbook next to each other on the console and waited. 

Asami finished fidgeting with the metal cage, electrodes in place, and met Korra's eyes. "Okay," she said as Korra had requested. "I'm ready." 

Korra took a deep breath. When she had first proposed this next part, she had felt a little silly. Part of her felt like it was redundant - especially today, when they’d spent so long planning together, ensuring that Asami was informed of all the things they intended to do. And yet, Asami had agreed to it without hesitation. 

Maybe it was just a way for Korra to hold herself accountable. She still burned with guilt over the command she had given Asami without her permission, despite her girlfriend's forgiveness. Either way, she knew it was important, and Asami understood that. She picked up the journal and flipped through a few pages. 

"Asami, in a minute, I'm going to turn on the machine set to its first setting. In that setting, I plan to help you establish your safety colors. Is that okay?" This was the first part, explicitly laying out one of the things she planned to do and giving Asami a chance to say she wasn’t comfortable with it.

Asami had a good natured twinkle in her eye as she nodded. "Of course, Korra," she said. "I give you permission to make that change." Her verbal acknowledgement was another point that had been important for Korra - no nods, no gestures, nothing that could leave any hint of uncertainty.

Korra blushed and looked down at the paper to continue. "Then, if you feel comfortable and safe, I'll take you to the next level. There, I will establish the 'Permission' trigger and give you your Oasis like we discussed earlier." She paused. "Oh, shit, that was two things, wasn't it?" 

Asami's smile brightened a bit, but thankfully she didn't laugh. "It's okay, love," she said, eyes sparkling. "I consent to both changes." 

Korra nodded and took another breath to steady herself. "How are you so calm?" she said, a note of petulant amusement in her voice.

Asami's smile never wavered. "Because," she said, "I trust you."

It was that simple. She felt a surge of confidence and self-assurance as she looked down at the machine. That was really what this was about. Trust. Pure and complete trust. Asami was giving her a treasure - something to be cherished and protected. She just had to believe she was worthy of that trust. 

Korra double checked the instruments and looked at Asami. "I'm going to turn the machine on now if you're ready," she said, returning to their agreed script. 

"I am," Asami said, settling back in the chair. "I love you," she said, and Korra flushed. 

"I love you too." She pulled the lever. 

Asami's face contorted for a moment in pain, but it passed quickly. Korra wished the machine didn't have to hurt her, but Asami had assured her it was okay. She watched her face relax, a pleasant - if neutral - expression overtaking her. Her eyes seemed to dull slightly. It was as if she was looking, but unable to see what was around her. Or maybe just uncaring of what she saw. That strange sense of absence made Korra shiver, but it didn't seem quite as ominous as it had the first time she had done it. And it was certainly an improvement over the look of severe intoxication she'd had the night before. 

She looked at the book and then back to Asami. "Asami," she said, "can you hear me?" 

"Yes, I can," she said in that now familiar dreamlike voice, as if she was half asleep. Korra glanced down again. 

"In a moment, I'm going to tell you a small collection of feelings. When I do, I want you to tell me the first color that comes to your mind. Do you understand?" 

"Yes," she said with a small sigh, "I understand." 

"Good," Korra said. "These are the first feelings I want you to focus on: safety, comfort, security." 

Asami didn't hesitate. "Blue," she said, the moment Korra stopped talking. Korra blinked. She looked at her notes. Asami had said she could ask if she wanted. Korra hadn't thought she'd be curious but… 

"Why blue?" she asked. To her surprise, she saw a small smile on Asami's lips. 

"It's the color of your eyes," she said in her sleepy voice. Korra felt a sudden surge of emotion and she paused, swallowing past a lump in her throat. 

"Thank you 'Sami," she said quietly. She wasn't sure if Asami had heard her, and even if she had, she wasn't likely to respond, but she had wanted to say it anyway. She looked at the notes again, less to remind herself of what came next and more to compose herself.  
  
“Okay, I’m going to give you a new set of feelings to focus on: anxious, uncomfortable, concerned.” Korra understood the point of the system she was helping to establish, but she didn’t like the idea of making Asami focus on things like this when she was so malleable. And indeed, she saw a small frown on her girlfriend’s face as she considered what she’d said.   
  
“Orange,” she said after a moment.   
  
“Why orange?” Korra asked.   
  
Asami’s frown deepened, and when she spoke her voice was a little colder than the dreamy quality it had before. “Tokuga. His gas. He tried to use me against you.”   
  
Korra nodded, not that Asami could see her. Unfortunately, she knew the hardest one was next. “You’re doing great Asami,” she said, keeping her voice light. “This is the last set of feelings I want you to focus on: danger, pain, fear.”   
  
Korra regretted saying the words as she watched Asami’s face. It looked like she was having a nightmare, her face twitching slightly, her frown deepening. She wanted to say something, but Asami had agreed to this. She’d said this was likely to happen given how close the first stage was to a lucid dream. So Korra respected her wishes, and waited.   
  
“Red,” she finally said. Korra bit her lip. She didn’t know if she should probe, but her curiosity was overwhelming her now, especially given how much red Asami wore on a regular basis. And she did have permission.   
  
“Why red?”   
  
Asami’s expression cleared slightly, but she was still frowning. “Fire took my mother,” she said. “The Red Lotus almost took you.”   
  
The lump in Korra’s throat returned. As she watched, a single tear slid down Asami’s cheek. Korra went to her, wiping it away and cradling her face in her hand. To her surprise, Asami relaxed at her touch, her expression returning to a more pleasantly neutral one. She stayed close as she spoke.   
  
“Asami, listen closely now. When Korra asks you what color you are, you will see the color closest to how you feel at that moment.”

  
Asami blinked slowly, then repeated the command back. “When Korra asks what color I am, I will see the color closest to how I feel at that moment.”   
  
“Regardless of your state of mind, you will be able to share that color.”   
  
“Regardless of my state of mind, I will be able to share that color.”   
  
“If your feelings are ever orange or red, you will be able to see that color and share that information unprompted.”   
  
“If my feelings are ever orange or red, I will be able to see that color and share that information unprompted.”   
  
“Saying, or attempting to say, the word ‘red’ will remove all influence from you. Your mind will be your own.”   
  
Asami’s lips curled up into a small smile. “Saying, or attempting to say, the word ‘red’ will remove all influence from me. My mind will be my own.”   
  
After Korra had shared her conversation with Opal on Air Temple Island, it had been Asami’s idea to give her a ‘safeword’ of sorts that would allow her to regain control of herself in an emergency. If it worked, it would be cleaner and more useful than the failsafe would have ever been. It was one more thing Korra had to thank Opal for.   
  
Korra put a hand on Asami’s cheek again and she moved slightly into the touch. “What color are you?” she asked.   
  
“Blue,” she said softly.   
  
Korra smiled. “Okay. I’m going to take you to the next level if you feel comfortable with that.”   
  
“I do,” Asami said, her dreamy voice warm. Korra stood and kissed her cheek before returning to the console. She felt calmer, now that they were in it. She always felt better when she could be doing something. That had been the way it was growing up, too. Learning bending philosophy was so much harder than the physical practice. When she was doing things, she proved to herself that she was capable. Asami felt safe. She still trusted her. She would take care of her. Asami trusted her, and that helped her trust herself.   
  
She adjusted the settings on the console, then, with one more look at the woman she loved, pulled the lever once again.  
  


* * *

  
Coming out of the machine was yet another different experience. It was closer to her third time coming out of it - the feeling of being herself yet being different somehow. That sensation was still there. But instead of the discomfort of the unknown or the weight of having lied to the woman she loved, she just felt a thrill of possibility,a heat at the knowledge of what Korra had done to her.   
  
But she still felt drained with a mild headache. It was an exhausting experience. She leaned over, head in hands, and then Korra was there. She crouched beside Asami, rubbing her lower back.   
  
“How do you feel?” she asked.   
  
“Tired,” Asami said truthfully. She smiled at her girlfriend. “But I’m fine, really. Did everything go well?”   
  
Korra returned the smile. This part was vastly different than the last time. Or at least, the last time Asami could remember. “I think so,” Korra said. “Do you remember much?”   
  
Asami shook her head. “I was in the second part a while, wasn’t I?” Korra nodded. “That makes sense. It makes it harder to remember the first part.”   
  
“Do you remember your colors?” Korra asked, and when she did, bright hues seemed to flash through Asami’s mind. “Blue,” she said. “And orange, and...red, right?”   
  
Korra nodded again. “What color are you now?”   
  
Two of the three colors in her mind’s eye faded, leaving only one. Asami smiled, looking at Korra. “Blue,” she said. “Like your eyes.”   
  
She saw Korra wipe a tear away. “You mentioned,” she said with a weak laugh. Asami took Korra’s chin in her hand and leaned down to kiss her.   
  
Her suspicions from earlier had been confirmed. Like how her mantra from the second setting of the machine hadn’t been quite so overwhelming as the ones that Guan had given her, obeying this command wasn’t nearly as intense as her mantra yesterday had felt. It was more of a pleasant warmth somewhere in her chest. “It worked,” she said against Korra’s lips and she could feel her smile.   
  
Korra drew back slightly. “Let’s make sure, okay?” Asami nodded. Yesterday’s mantra hadn’t been as intense as Guan’s, but she had been able to call up the feelings whenever she wanted, which had almost made it more dangerous. She closed her eyes and pictured that same blue color.   
  
“Blue,” she said. But there was nothing, no accompanying sensation. She opened her eyes. “I have to be doing as you say,” she confirmed and she saw her own relief mirrored in Korra’s eyes.   
  
Korra straightened and offered Asami a hand, helping her to her feet. “We should probably think about turning in,” she said. “You look beat.”   
  
Asami curled a loose strand of hair around her finger. She eyed Korra with a knowing look. “Are you sure that’s what you want?” she said playfully. The blush on Korra’ face was all the reward she needed.   
  
“I...um, well, I don’t...uh…” Asami giggled and kissed her flustered girlfriend again.   
  
“It’s okay, love,” she said softly. “We have all weekend. It has been a pretty mentally draining day, why don’t we go up to bed?” Korra’s blush deepened, but she nodded. Asami moved over to the console, powering it off before taking Korra’s hand and leading her upstairs. 

Korra didn’t say anything as they went to their room and changed for bed. Korra hardly ever wore anything but her preferred loose pajama pants and tank top. This time of year, Asami probably would have preferred longer pajamas as well, but she slid into a shorter nightgown anyway. She had been enjoying the way Korra was looking at her legs all day, and besides, she could always cuddle up to her girlfriend to keep warm.   
  
Asami was seated at their vanity, finishing removing her makeup when she caught a glimpse of Korra in the mirror. She was sitting on the edge of the bed and watching her. She could see the shadow of that same hunger from earlier, tempered, but still very much present. She felt her heartbeat quicken.   
  
“You’re staring,” she said.   
  
“Yes,” Korra said simply. There was silence. Asami put down the cloth she’d used to wipe her face clean and turned to look at her girlfriend in the soft light of the vanity mirror and Korra’s bedside lamp.   
  
“How are you so beautiful?” The question caught Asami off guard. She felt herself blush.   
  
“I…” she didn’t really have a response. Korra was standing up and walking towards her. She stood over her and suddenly Asami’s cleverness and wit were gone because Korra’s eyes were dark and so very focused on her. Korra touched her cheek, her touch light, the callouses on her fingers rough but gentle. She slid her hand up and combed it through Asami’s hair. She closed her eyes briefly. “Korra,” she said, not even sure what she wanted.   
  
“You know...we should probably make sure everything went okay,” Korra said and Asami’s eyes flew open. She looked up at her. Was she trying to get back at her? She did that sometimes when Asami teased her or tripped her up. She was better at it than she thought, which was probably Asami’s only saving grace most of the time. Korra never really understood how tightly she had her wrapped around her fingers.   
  
She swallowed, her mouth suddenly feeling dry. “If...if you want,” she said, breathlessly.   
  
“What do you want?” Korra asked. Asami couldn’t have said. Korra waited a moment, then began to play with her hair again. “What color are you?” she asked.   
  
“Blue,” Asami said without hesitation.   
  
Korra met her gaze and Asami knew what was coming before she could open her mouth. And she wanted it. She needed it.   
  
“Will you be mine?” Korra asked.   
  
Asami had a choice now. She could say no. She could always say no. But just that moment, in the dim light of their room, with the woman she loved looking at her with the kind of passion that made the sun look dim, Asami barely even considered refusing.   
  
“Yes,” she said, and obedient pleasure hit her like a drug as she spoke the words that were very nearly a prayer. “I’m yours. Mind, body and soul.”


	6. Surrender

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pure sin.
> 
> Enjoy.

Asami felt a bit like she had when she had been in the machine on its first setting. There were some differences - there was no droning in her head keeping her thoughts at bay, and she felt more connected to her body than she had in the machine. But her thoughts were...distant. Her body felt light and floaty. It wasn't unpleasant. She hummed with familiar, obedient pleasure, as she transitioned into this new mindset. 

She was more aware of her surroundings than she was in the machine as well, and it was that thought that brought her to look up at the only person in the world who mattered to her at the moment. Words filled her mind. Familiar words, words she had helped to construct, now woven delicately into her thoughts by the love of her life. 

_ I belong to Mistress Korra.  _

_ I think as she wishes me to think.  _

_ I act as she commands me to act.  _

_ I must obey Mistress Korra.  _

These thoughts formed the pillars of Asami's mind. It wasn't that she lacked agency exactly. She was just aware that anything she might want to do or think would be superseded in an instant by what her Mistress wanted. All she would have to do would be to speak and Asami would be helpless. She had no control. 

She couldn't remember ever being more turned on. 

Her Mistress was watching her carefully and Asami was suddenly very conscious of herself. She was breathing heavily. Her face must have been flushed. She could feel the fabric of her nightgown tight against the tips of her breasts. She wondered if she pleased her Mistress. She wondered if she could do anything to make herself more appealing. But before she could act on any one thought, her Mistress spoke and Asami's world shrank to nothing but her. 

"What color are you?" she asked. Asami flushed deeper. Her Mistress cared for her. Her Mistress loved her. She wanted her to be safe. And she felt safe. She saw the vivid blue of her Mistress's eyes in her mind. 

"Blue, Mistress," Asami said obediently. There was a pleasantly warm sensation in her chest, but moments later a greater reward came in the form of knowledge that she had obeyed, that she had done as she was told. She was nearly dizzy with arousal, and her Mistress hadn't even used her yet. 

Mistress Korra cupped Asami's cheek in her hand and she pressed herself into it, savoring the feeling of her touch. Her hands were rough and calloused, but Asami loved them all the more for that. She was so strong, so beautiful. Asami kissed her palm, reaching up to take her Mistress's hand in her own softer ones. She let her lips trail up her wrist and that made her Mistress inhale sharply. Asami thought she had never heard a sweeter sound. 

She continued to trail kisses up her Mistress's arm, wanting nothing but to touch her, to feel her, to bask in her. 

"Stop," she heard her say and Asami obeyed without thinking. Pleasure hit her and made her vision swim as she let her Mistress's fingers slip from her hands, sitting back in her seat. She looked up into her Mistress's blue eyes, silently begging to be used. 

She looked…concerned for some reason. Asami couldn't fathom why. She was being good, wasn't she? Obedient? There was a thought tugging at the back of her mind and she extracted it with some difficulty. She was, after all, still Asami. She could still think and reason, because that's how her Mistress had wanted her. 

Maybe that was part of the problem. Asami had been transported. She could exist in this place her Mistress had given her, somewhere between a fantasy and a conditioned state of mind, the edges blurred by how unbelievably good she felt, and how completely uninhibited she was in her absolute submission. 

But her Mistress had no such transformation. She was still herself, watching Asami with all the insecurities she knew must be weighing on her in those moments. She loved her Mistress, but she was aware of her imperfections. She wanted to know that her Asami, the woman she loved, was still present. She wanted to know that she wasn't just a puppet. She tried to center herself. Nothing she did or thought contradicted the pillars of thought that were supporting her, so it was easy enough to do. She took a deep breath. 

"I'm still here Mis- Korra," she said softly. Her Mistress hadn't forbidden her from using her name, but in this state, it simply seemed easier to refer to her by title. It felt right. "I'm still me," she continued. She couldn't reach out and touch her, she had been told to stop touching her after all, but she tried to give her a reassuring smile. "I want this."

Her Mistress visibly relaxed. She liked it when Asami was clear with her. She filed that away. Making her happy wasn't a conditioned behavior, but it made her feel satisfied anyway. After all, she loved her Mistress dearly. She wanted her to enjoy this as much as Asami did. 

"Sorry," her Mistress said. "I don't think I'm very good at this yet." 

Asami beamed at her. "It doesn't matter, Mistress," she purred. "I'm yours. All you have to do is tell me what you want." 

Her Mistress bit her lip. Asami could still see the hunger lurking in her eyes. She ached to draw it out of her, to help her lose herself in the lust she knew her concern for Asami's well being was tempering. Yet, she felt no frustration. She felt nothing really, but the desire to please her Mistress, whatever that may entail. She would sit here and do nothing, happily so, if her Mistress commanded it. 

But she knew that wasn't what she wanted. 

Her Mistress cleared her throat. "I want you...to kiss me." 

Asami hummed happily. "Yes Mistress," she said. She didn't lean closer to Asami, so she had to stand to kiss her. She was taller than her Mistress, though only a little. Only enough that she had to tilt her head up when she kissed her. Asami slid her arms around her Mistress's neck, a slow, sensual movement. Asami knew her Mistress loved the way she moved. Like liquid across her hard, muscular body. She felt the muscles in her shoulders as she embraced the woman she loved, shivering at the feel of them beneath her fingers. 

Then she kissed her. She hadn't been given instructions on how to kiss her, so she was allowed creative liberty. She wanted her Mistress hot, she wanted to set her on fire. She kissed her deeply, hungrily. She felt her short, dark hair tickling Asami's arms as she melted into her, and her Mistress's obvious pleasure, along with her own obedience, made Asami weak in the knees. 

She sucked greedily on her Mistress's lower lip, drawing a moan from her that made Asami smile against her lips. She bit down slightly, enough to make her gasp, then sucked the edge of pain away. She slid her tongue across her lip, then past it, deepening the kiss. She felt her Mistress's arms slide around her waist and begin to explore her body. She felt her hands sliding up the back of her nightgown, over the lace underwear she wore, gripping her, touching her, exalting in her. Asami let out a deep groan in response and pressed herself closer to her Mistress. She wanted to be  _ part  _ of her.   
  
She didn’t know how long she kissed her. All she knew was that she was being obedient, and that obedience was pleasure and her Mistress’s mouth was so sweet on hers that maybe she never had to stop kissing her, and she could just be lost in blissful obedient love forever. But then, her Mistress’s hands slid out from beneath her nightgown and pressed against her chest. Asami obeyed as if she had been given a command, parting from her Mistress, a thin line of saliva connecting their lips as Asami looked at her with worshipful adoration. She noted dimly that her conditioning seemed to not make a distinction between spoken commands and implied ones, rewarding her for her obedience even though her Mistress hadn’t said a word.    
  
Her Mistress was flushed, eyes dark, breathing heavily. She was looking at Asami with a combination of amazement and deep desire. Asami felt her heart flutter in her chest.    
  
“Couldn’t breathe,” her Mistress said, panting. Asami made a happy noise in her throat and nuzzled against her Mistress’s neck. She hadn’t told her not to, and Asami was having fun exercising agency when she could. She kissed her neck a few times before her lips found the racing pulse in her throat.   
  
“Asami!” her Mistress groaned. She could feel the vibrations in her lips and she sucked on the skin harder, wanting to leave a mark on her dark skin. She wanted people to see it, she wanted them to know that she was Asami’s Mistress. She smiled against her throat, not removing her lips as she spoke.   
  
“Would you like me to stop, Mistress?” she said, her voice dropping low the way she knew her Mistress loved. Her strong hands were holding her now,  _ gripping  _ her in a way that made her feel weak and so very powerful at the same time. She sucked her skin again, feeling her MIstress tremble.    
  
“Use your words, Mistress” she said playfully, echoing her sentiment from a little over an hour ago.    


That drew a full-throated growl from her Mistress that made Asami’s heart stop. She felt those hands tighten around her and drag her towards the bed. She followed, her body incapable of doing anything else. They stopped at the edge of the bed and her Mistress’s blue eyes met her own.    
  
“Undress me,” she said, and there was a tone of absolute authority in her voice that flattened anything resembling free will Asami may have been toying with. Her brain went numb, her body exploding with heat.    
  
“Yes Mistress,” she said without thinking. She was moving without thinking too. She had no control. Her body was thrumming with obedience and compliance and she was  _ her’s _ and she  _ belonged  _ to Mistress Korra and nothing else in the world could be more important.    
  
She slid her tank top off over smooth, hard muscle, her breath catching as her hands brushed over the swell of her Mistress’s full breasts. Part of her wanted to stop and feel them, to squeeze and adore them the way they were meant to be adored, but she had been given an order. She could no more disobey than she could stop breathing. At least that’s how it felt.    
  
Asami had to get on her knees to pull down her Mistress’s long, loose-fitting pants and that was its own blazingly hot sensation. Not a conditioned one, but as she looked up at the woman she loved so dearly, all of the images from her fantasies of the last few days hit her at once. There was an absolutely delicious feeling of powerlessness kneeling at her Mistress’s feet. For the first time, she felt a word pulse through her mind - a word that her Mistress had found too distasteful to make part of her conditioning, but one that fit her fantasy like a lock in a key.    
  
_ Slave _ .

Her Mistress stepped out of the pants and underwear at her feet and she was naked and beautiful and perfect. On her knees, Asami could see the patch of dark, curly hair above her sex just around eye level. She could see the taught muscles of her legs shifting beneath her skin. Asami wanted to touch her, wanted to feel her lips against those incredible legs, wanted to taste her Mistress and feel her wetness, her desire for Asami, but the moment she began to lean forward, her voice cut across any desire she might have.   
  
“Freeze.” And Asami did. Every muscle in her body locked up. Her compliance washed through her, making her body weak with pleasure, but even still she did not move. Her Mistress crouched so that they were roughly eye level. There was a look of wonder in her eyes, eclipsed only slightly by the burning desire Asami saw there.  _ Desire for me.  _ The thought was almost as good as her conditioning. Almost.    
  
Her mistress reached out to touch her face. Asami whimpered, but couldn’t nuzzle against the touch. She couldn’t do anything as her Mistress slid her fingers down her neck and pushed the strap of her nightgown over her shoulder. Then she did the other.    
  
“Stand up, then freeze again,” she commanded and Asami obeyed. As she stood, her nightgown slid down, only being kept from coming off entirely by the curve of her breasts, modest though they may have been compared to her MIstress’s. As her body locked in place, her Mistress grabbed the fabric of the nightgown and gave it a single tug. It slid free of her body, pooling at her feet. Her Mistress just stared at her, adoring her, admiring her. She was like a work of art her Mistress wanted to memorize every inch of.    
  
Asami moaned when her Mistress touched her, running her hands over her taut stomach. The sound was muffled because she couldn’t open her mouth - she couldn’t move anything at all. Her Mistress caressed her softly, agonizingly slowly. She might have thought she was teasing her, except the way she was looking at her said otherwise. It was clear that she was indulging herself, touching Asami because she  _ wanted  _ to touch her that way and for no other reason. Her hand slid up to cup her breast, brushing one thumb over a stiff nipple. Asami moaned again involuntarily. This was how her Mistress wanted to use her. That thought alone would have brought her to her knees had her orders not kept her on her feet.    
  
Her Mistress had moved behind her now. She felt her tugging at the lace of her underwear, sliding it down her legs. At her command, she spread her legs slightly, shuddering as she felt her MIstress’s fingers pass over her lower lips with a feather-light touch. Her hands ran over the curve of her hips, up her back and came to rest on her shoulders. Then she felt her lips, warm and soft on the back of her neck as her hands slid around to cup her breasts, tugging her nipples playfully.    
  
Asami’s whole body was trembling with the effort of maintaining her position. She would have wanted to move if she was capable of wanting something that opposed her Mistress’s will. But she couldn’t, so she didn’t. She just lost herself in the knowledge that she was compliant, that she was pleasing her Mistress. She was serving her will.    
  
“Put your hands behind your head,” her Mistress said into her ear and to Asami, it felt that she didn’t even have to exert control as her arms moved of their own volition, folding themselves behind her head. She was so exposed, so completely powerless. Her Mistress’s hands became more insistent, more possessive. She couldn’t tell if she was Firebending again, making her hands supernaturally warm, or if they just felt that way to Asami who herself felt as though she were moments away from bursting into flame.    
  
Her Mistress’s lips were on her neck again, and then her shoulders and her back. She felt her grasp her breasts as her teeth sank into the muscle of Asami’s shoulders and she would have cried out if she could open her mouth. Then her tongue was there, her tongue and her lips, soothing away the moment’s pain. She felt her teeth on her neck, higher up, and another flash of pain made even her obedience-locked legs falter a little before her Mistress soothed her once more. Asami’s breathing was ragged, she could feel a sheen of sweat covering her. She felt her MIstress’s hands sliding beneath her arms, tracing up under them, then down her sides. She was trembling harder now, the effort of keeping herself upright and locked in place taking a toll on her needy body.    
  
She felt her Mistress’s breath in her ear. “What color are you?”   
  
Asami found her mouth could move, and she went to answer but...it was curious. There wasn’t a clear one. She saw blue in her mind distinctly, but there were hints of orange bleeding through.    
  
“Blue, Mistress...mostly.”    
  
Her Mistress stopped moving, holding her close. She could feel her breasts pressing against Asami’s back, her arms helping to alleviate some of the effort of staying upright.    
  
“Can you explain more for me? You can speak normally.”   
  
Asami considered it. Her mind was a haze of arousal and obedience and it made it even more difficult to think than before. But the question was simple and she tried her best. “There’s...a little orange, Mistress. Just a little.” She could see her colors in a gradient. That was useful, some distant part of her thought.   
  
“Do you want to continue?” she heard her Mistress ask. That wasn’t a difficult question to answer.    
  
“Yes Mistress,” she said, and she could hear the desperate edge to her voice. “Just...tired, hard to stand, Mistress.”   
  
“Oh! Come here, love,” her Mistress said, and as she moved her body, Asami felt herself come unlocked. She drew her down and into the bed and she felt an incredible relief at being able to move freely once more. She had little time to dwell on it, however, as her Mistress had pushed her onto her back and returned to her indulgent exploration of her body.   
  
_ Her slave’s body _ , Asami thought and it sent a ripple of pleasure through her. Her Mistress’s mouth was on her breast and she felt the tip of her tongue flicking across her aching nipple. She arched her back into her, craving her touch, and her Mistress obliged. Her hands were gripping her sides, then down to her waist, holding her so tightly. She slid her grip to her ass as Asami arched her back and she felt craved and needed and  _ wanted _ in a way that very nearly brought her to tears.    
  
Mistress Korra’s mouth was sliding down her body now, and Asami was surely going to lose her mind if she went any slower or kissed her any more delicately - that is, if her mind was still hers to lose. Which it wasn’t. Because it belonged to Mistress Korra. Because all of her belonged to Mistress Korra.    
  
Then her Mistress spread her legs and her fever-hot lips were on Asami’s sex and she was  _ screaming _ a wordless encouragement as her fists gripped the sheets and her whole body went rigid. She could feel her toes curling, her breath coming in shallow gasps. She was  _ so close _ and her Mistress had barely touched her.   
  
“‘Sami.” Her Mistress’s voice cut straight through the haze of pleasure, what was left of her attention and focus honing in on her voice like it was the only thing that existed. “Don’t cum until I tell you,” she said and Asami let out an instinctive whine.   
  
“Yes Mistress,” she said, her voice breathless, though part of her was concerned. Could she obey that? What would happen if she didn’t? She saw a few more spots of orange in her mind. She wondered if she should tell her Mistress. She didn’t have to, and she didn’t want to disappoint her. As her doubts boiled up for a moment, she found solace in one of the pillars holding her together.   
  
_ I act as she commands me to act _ .   
  
She let that thought consume her, let it take over her thoughts, repeating it to herself over and over as she felt her Mistress’s lips return to her sex. Her world was white-hot intensity as she felt Mistress Korra’s tongue part her lower lips, probing deep within her.    
  
_ I act as she commands me to act. _

She should have already been careening over the edge into orgasmic oblivion, but it was like there was a block, something holding her at the edge.

_ I act as she commands me to act. _

She had been ordered not to cum. Her conditioning wouldn’t let her. Sometimes she felt as though it was inevitable, as if her Mistress’s tongue was going to drag her over the edge despite her orders. But the threat of disobedience sent a little twinge of discomfort through her - not enough to be truly painful, but enough to hold her in place, keeping her dangling over a yawning abyss she might have wanted to throw herself into under normal circumstances.   
  
_ I act as she commands me to act. _   
  
Her obedience held her at bay, and rewarded her for every moment she did as her Mistress desired. She felt her Mistress’s tongue withdraw from her briefly, tracing her inner lips before sliding up the length of her sex and sucking on her clit drawing a sound from the depths of Asami’s soul that might have been loud enough to wake the neighbors if she’d had nearly enough breath.    
  
Mistress’s fingers slid inside her with laughable ease. She was  _ so  _ wet. Her tongue began to circle her clit as she slid in and out of her, fucking her, taking her,  _ claiming  _ her.    
  
_ I belong to Avatar Korra. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ I act as she commands me to act.  
  
_ She felt transcendent. She was in her body but outside her body. The struggle to obey, the struggle not to cum, was an impossible task that she accomplished only by not contemplating its impossibility. There was nothing but her Mistress, and her fingers, and her tongue and her lips and she was  _ hers  _ and she  _ would  _ obey, even if it broke her, even if it unmade her. This is what she was made to do, this is what she  _ existed  _ to do-   
  
“Cum for me, Asami.”   
  
Asami’s world broke open and surely she must have burst into flames, because there was just nowhere else for the heat inside of her to  _ go _ . Someone was screaming in desperate, glorious release and with a faint surprise somewhere in the back of her pleasure-soaked brain she realized it was her. Her hands were covering her face, blocking out the low light of the room, blocking out one more sensation because she was just feeling so  _ much  _ any reduction of sensation was a blessed relief. Her hips were lifted off the bed, and her Mistress was still inside of her, still fucking her, her mouth seemingly attached to her clit, dragging her orgasm out across a fraction of eternity with no end in sight.    
  
And it was  _ too  _ much, and it was  _ too  _ good and she couldn’t even remember who she was anymore because she was lost in the tempest that was her body. A color blazed in her mind and she heard herself speaking. “Orange, Mistress, please!”   
  
She felt her Mistress’s hands and mouth vanish from her and she fell against the bed, her legs were shaking uncontrollably, her whole body trembling and convulsing as the overwhelming sensations finally,  _ finally  _ began to fade. Her Mistress took her in her strong arms, holding her tightly. She moved to stroke Asami or touch her hair, but even those small gestures were too much on Asami's sensitive skin and she flinched away from the touch. Her Mistress understood and returned to holding her, gripping her tightly, grounding in her something resembling reality. Her skin burned where she gripped her, but she was too desperate for the anchor to ask her not to. 

"Do you need a break?" her Mistress asked. Asami nodded her head, hands still held over her eyes. 

"Yes, please Mistress," she said, though her voice sounded shakey to her own ears. 

"Relax," her Mistress whispered to her and her body immediately tried to obey, though it was still pulsing with the aftershock of her orgasm. "Where's your safe space?" 

"My Oasis," Asami said, and the tension left her body. Her eyes closed as her hands slid from her face, her whole body going limp but for the few twitches and involuntary convulsions running through her. She pictured herself sitting by a crystal clear pool. There were palm trees shading her as she lay on warm sand. It was calm and silent here, and beyond the pool was an empty horizon with nothing but red sand and rolling dunes. She felt completely calm and tranquil, the overwhelming sensations a distant memory as her mind returned to her. 

At least, mostly. She could still sense the pillars that had defined her thinking present in her mind. But they were distant, unimportant at the moment. She was disconnected from the compulsive pleasure that obedience brought her while she was here. It was a way for them to press pause, to let Asami be clear and calm without ending a session. 

"How are you feeling?" When her Mistress - when Korra - spoke, she appeared in the sand next to Asami. They were lying together on a soft blanket.

"Better," Asami said. She could feel the trembling fading, her body growing calm. "Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt things.”

"You don't have to be sorry," she said. Her grip loosened, but the Korra she was picturing in her mind didn't move. It was a slightly odd experience, the dissociation between her vivid mental image and her body making her feel a little distant. Still, that distance was calming, especially after what she had just felt. 

Asami lay there, the imagined sun on her skin relaxing her. Her breathing returned to normal, her heartbeat slowed slightly. Korra let her lie there, though she imagined her looking at Asami with concern. 

"I'm alright, love," she said after a few minutes. "I think I just got a little overstimulated." 

She felt Korra caress her cheek and she nuzzled into the touch affectionately. "It was incredible, though," she assured her girlfriend. "I've never felt anything like that." 

She didn't need to see Korra to know she was smiling that big, goofy smile she wore when she'd done a particularly good job satisfying her. She could hear the pride in her voice when she next spoke, her hand dragging lazily across Asami's stomach now that she wasn't so overly sensitive. 

"Should I bring you back up?" she asked. Asami frowned at the question. 

"Is that what you want?" She knew Korra preferred to give, but especially given the circumstances, she'd been expecting to be…well, used a little more. 

"I may have, um, taken care of some of that," Korra said and Asami could hear the embarrassment in her voice. It made her smile and squirm pleasantly, and when she spoke it was soft and just a little raspy. 

"Did you like the way I tasted, Mistress?" she said and she heard Korra inhale sharply. 

"Very much," she admitted. 

There was a pause as Asami enjoyed the feeling of Korra’s warm hand on her skin. “You know,” she said, after a moment, “If you were half as turned on as I was, I bet you made a mess…"

There was a pause. "Kind of, I guess," Korra said softly. Asami couldn't tell what she was thinking. She went on anyway, taking a shot in the dark. 

"Seems to me the type of thing your slave may be perfectly suited to take care of…" 

She let the offer hang in the air. The Korra in her mind was looking at her with that beautiful, lustful hunger she was beginning to crave, though she had no idea how accurate the imagined expression was. 

"What color are you?" Korra asked, and this time Asami could definitely hear the desire that colored her voice. She smiled seductively. 

"Very blue, Mistress," she purred. Another pause, then she felt shifting on the bed. She felt pressure on the pillow she lay on, on either side of her head. Then the scent hit her. The scent of sex, and sweat, and  _ Korra.  _ Asami's smile deepend. 

"You may open your eyes," Korra said. Always, she had a choice. 

She did, and when she did, she was greeted by her Mistress's sex, wet and dripping and  _ beautiful _ , her lips inches from Asami's own. 

"Worship me," her Mistress commanded and before she could even answer properly, she lowered herself onto Asami's face.

The order sent a thrill of excitement through Asami that was only strengthened by the surge of pleasure she felt as she obeyed. Her Mistress had never spoken to her like that before. She'd rarely, in fact, ever taken this position with her before. She was opening up, experimenting,  _ using _ her slave the way Asami craved to be used. 

And so she worshiped. 

She curled her hands around her Mistress's taut, muscular thighs, her fingers digging into her flesh as she slid her tongue into the wet folds of her sex, her dark hair tickling Asami's nose slightly as she penetrated her as deeply as she could. She tried to remember to breathe as she plunged deeper, curling her tongue inside of her, rewarded with a deep,  _ insistent  _ moan and the motion of her Mistress's hips as she began to ride against Asami's face. 

She opened her eyes and looked up at her Mistress, admiring the view her position gave her, watching the muscles moving beneath her skin as she bucked her hips. One of her Mistress's hands was on a heavy breast, groping it while the other tangled in Asami's hair. She gripped her tightly, pulling slightly and Asami inhaled sharply at the sweet, sharp pain. This brought another wave of her Mistress's heady scent, and Asami was lost in the visceral sensations as she did everything in her power to pleasure the woman who was everything to her. 

She felt her Mistress's wetness on her face, tasted her on her tongue as she pushed herself deeper, moving, twisting, employing every trick she'd ever learned in the months they'd been together. The task consumed her, every second of attention giving her doses of pure, compliant pleasure. This was what she existed to do. This was the task she was put on this world to perform. To worship Mistress Korra, to pleasure her. She dug her fingers tighter into her thighs, pulling her harder against her mouth. 

And then her Mistress was pressing down on her. She felt the headboard shake as she took it in one hand, the other tugging harder on Asami's hair, harder than she'd ever pulled before. It was probably more than she would have been comfortable with ordinarily, and she saw flashes of orange in her mind, but she could endure because it just meant that her Mistress was  _ that  _ close and she wanted, no, needed to give this to her. 

Then she squeezed her thighs tight around Asami's head and she heard a wordless cry of release as her Mistress came hard, and her own body shuddered as she was  _ rewarded  _ for her compliance, her  _ obedience.  _ The grip on her head lessened as her Mistress raised herself slightly, letting Asami gasp for air - she had hardly even noticed that she couldn't breathe - and she could feel her thighs quivering next to her on either side of her face. 

But Asami had been told to worship, and so she lifted herself to press her lips against her Mistress's sex, kissing her wet lips tenderly, feeling her jump at the contact. She was still gripping her thighs, trying to pull her back down, to do as she was told, to obey, to worship, to-

"Asami! Stop! Oh fuck, that's enough, that's enough…" And Asami obeyed, letting her head fall back to the pillow, her hands sliding down her thighs to rest across Asami's body. Her eyes traveled up her Mistress's body, meeting her crystal blue eyes with a lazy smile. 

"Did I do well, Mistress?" she asked. Her Mistress looked at her a moment, then let out a bark of laughter. 

"Yeah, 'Sami, you were incredible," she said. Asami assumed at this point that her Mistress would cuddle her and bring her out of her obedient state. Her Mistress liked to cuddle more than one might assume from speaking with her. And yet, she stayed that way, holding herself over Asami, despite the slight self-consciousness she could sense in her. It was like she was considering asking for something she thought was embarrassing. Which was nonsense, considering that Asami was her slave to use however she wished. 

She was getting more comfortable thinking of herself that way, she realized. There was probably more she could dig into there, but that would have to wait. Her Mistress was hesitating, which meant that Asami had to encourage her to speak her mind. She was getting good at that, she thought with a deep sense of self-satisfaction. 

She lifted her face to her Mistress's thigh - she hadn't been told she couldn't kiss her there - and placed her lips against the warm skin. She felt her Mistress shiver. That was a good sign. 

"What would you like, Mistress?" she said in her low, sultry voice, the one that made her Mistress weak at the knees. "How do you want to use me? You know I’m yours, right? All yours. Only yours.” She punctuated each statement with another kiss. “Please Mistress. Tell me what you want.”   
  
There was a pause. “Clean me up?” she said, her voice a little timid. Asami looked up and saw that she was looking away, her face deeply flushed. It was adorable, Asami decided, seeing her Mistress flustered and self-conscious. She was worried about what Asami might think, worried about demeaning her in some way. She loved that her Mistress was so considerate of her, though she would have to remind her later that it had been her own suggestion in the first place. She couldn’t feel demeaned because that would imply that she was her Mistress’s equal. It would imply that there were tasks that she would find distasteful or unwilling to perform for her Mistress. Both of those implications were just wrong. Slaves were not equal to their owners, and there was no task that Asami would not find pleasure in performing so long as she was being obedient.    
  
But instead of saying any of that, she simply said, “Yes Mistress,” and did as she was told. True, her Mistress had made it sound like more of a question than an order, but to Asami’s delight, she found that interpreting it as an order rewarded her the same way as it would if her Mistress had been more direct. Warm bursts of pleasure rolled through her body as she dragged her tongue over the sweet wetness that coated her Mistress’s inner thighs. She was deliberate, covering every inch of skin with long, slow licks, occasionally pressing her lips against her burning skin and sucking slightly. She approached her Mistress’s sex and outlined her outer lips with her tongue. She was so very careful to keep from brushing over the puffy and likely overly-sensitive folds of her MIstress’s sex, knowing that the sensation would likely be less than pleasant. Her Mistress was already breathing heavily as Asami finished her task, and she wondered briefly if she was about to lower herself again to ride her face when she felt her Mistress shift and rise from her position over her.   
  
She lay out on the bed beside Asami, stretching herself out, her face still a little flushed. Asami admired her Mistress for a moment before a thought occurred to her. She had cum twice in fairly quick succession. She had given herself her first orgasm, which meant there was likely more for Asami to do. She reached out and gently took her Mistress’s wrist. Sure enough, her index and middle fingers were still glistening slightly with wetness. Whether it had been hers or Asami’s, she couldn’t say, but either way the compulsion to obey brought the digits to her lips and she slid them into her warm, wet mouth.    
  
Mistress Korra had been looking at her, about to ask something when she did so. Her eyes rolled in her head and she let out a deep groan that excited Asami. She’d certainly never done this before, and seeing how much her MIstress seemed to enjoy it made her all the more enthusiastic. She dragged her tongue up and down her fingers, slipping it between them, then sucking them deeply for good measure.  _ At least that’s one translatable skill from dating men _ , she thought to herself with amusement.    
  
She bobbed her head up and down her Mistress’s fingers a couple more times just to watch the expression on her face as she did so. She was staring at her, gaping slightly, her breathing ragged and shallow as she stared at Asami’s mouth. She smiled as she let her fingers slide from her lips with a soft wet sound and to her delight, her Mistress was already bringing her other hand to her lips for the same treatment. She obeyed without thought, making sure to be just as thorough with these fingers as she had with the others.    
  
The moment she had finished her task, her Mistress was on top of her, kissing her. She could taste herself on her Mistress’s lips and so she kissed her deeply, probing with her tongue, obeying even as her Mistress had seemingly forgotten what she’d ordered her slave to do. When she broke the kiss, Asami kissed her chin and around her mouth, her tongue darting out obediently finding more of her own arousal where her Mistress had been so good to her. It was only then that she seemed to realize what Asami was doing and she pushed her back down to the bed with a tired laugh. “You’ve done enough ‘Sami, you can stop now.”   
  
Asami recognized a choice in this command. She could stop, but that didn’t mean she had to. She wondered briefly if it would be worth the look on her Mistress’s face to continue anyways. Something of her intentions must have spilled onto her face because her Mistress blushed again and said, “Down, girl, you’re done now.”    
  
Asami pouted playfully, drawing another laugh from her Mistress who kissed her lightly on the lips. Asami hummed happily, squirming against her lover. She was tired, but that was a secondary concern. She belonged to Mistress Korra, so if she wanted to keep using her, she would of course be used. But as her Mistress began to caress her softly, keeping her kisses feather-light and playful rather than deep and sensual, Asami realized that she was winding her down, getting ready to bring her back up. There was still something Asami wanted, however. Something that had been so deeply a part of her fantasies, but that hadn’t occurred yet.   
  
Her Mistress was stroking her hair, looking into her eyes, admiring them. Her Mistress loved her eyes. She loved her. “Mistress?” Asami said quietly.    
  
“Yes, love?”   
  
“Did I...was I good?” She bit her lip, surprised to feel a flutter of nerves in her stomach. She hadn’t known she could be nervous in her Mistress’s presence.    
  
Her Mistress’s brow furrowed. “Of course you were, ‘Sami. You were incredible.”   
  
Asami blushed, the complement making her feel warm inside. But still wasn’t  _ exactly _ what she wanted to hear. “So...so I was...I was a…” Why was this so hard? Was it because she couldn't bring herself to try and make her Mistress say anything? Or was this one desire of hers still embarrassing to the part of her that was still her? The part of her that knew she’d have to see the look in her Mistress’s eyes tomorrow morning when she teased her about it.   
  
Fortunately, her Mistress seemed to understand. She smiled, and there was no mocking, no teasing in the expression. There was only love and acceptance as she kissed Asami again. She brought her lips to Asami’s ear. She could feel her warm breath tickling her. “You were such a good girl,” her Mistress said and Asami’s eyes rolled back in her head, her mouth open. “Such a good, obedient girl for me,” she continued and that just wasn’t fair. Had she been so hesitant because she knew that she had handed her Mistress a devastating tool to use against her?    
  
Her Mistress cupped her breast, massaging her gently. She nibbled her earlobe and she’d certainly never done that before. Asami bit her lip over a moan as her Mistress spoke to her again. “My good girl, my perfectly obedient girl,” she said and her voice was dripping with lust in a way Asami had never heard before. Or maybe it was just what she was saying coloring Asami’s interpretation.    
  
“I think my good girl wants to cum for me again,” Mistress Korra whispered to her and Asami could only nod eagerly. Her thighs were pressed together, her long legs rubbing together as she felt warmth spreading from her sex up her stomach and down to her toes.   
  
“You’ve been  _ so  _ good to me ‘Sami,” her Mistress said. Her hand moved from her breast to skim down her stomach and over her thighs. Asami spread her legs, silently begging for contact that her Mistress did not give her. “I think,” her Mistress said, and Asami could hear the smile in her voice, “that my  _ good _ ,  _ obedient  _ girl doesn’t need me to touch her to do what I want.”    
  
Asami whimpered. She reached between her own legs, aching for friction, but her Mistress stopped her. “No, no, let’s have those right up here behind your head, love.” Asami let out a petulant whine as her hands obeyed, her body flooding with pleasure as her obedience restrained her.    
  
“Good girl,” her Mistress said and she ran her tongue along the inside of her ear. Asami gasped and bucked her hips. She  _ wanted _ so much. Her Mistress was beautifully cruel. She was barely touching her, but each touch made her see stars. As she teased her, she whispered soft praise to her, telling her how good she was, how obedient she had been. Each of those reminders made her body flood with obedience, her conditioned mind rewarding her.   
  
_ I must obey Mistress Korra _ .

“Is my good, obedient girl ready to cum for me?” her Mistress asked. 

“Yes Mistress!” Asami cried, raising her hips again, her hands balling into fists behind her head.    
  
“Good girl,” her Mistress said. She paused, then removed her hands from her body entirely. She exhaled into Asami’s ear and breathed, “Cum for me.”   
  
Asami’s world went white as her body obeyed. Her body arched up off the bed before crashing back against the blankets. Her Mistress’s lips claimed hers, muffling her moans as she kissed her and her kiss was everything, and her hands were everything and  _ she  _ was everything.    
  
She didn’t exactly pass out, but things got very hazy as she rode the waves of her second orgasm of the night. Her Mistress was nuzzling against her neck, praising her, touching her, making her feel so warm and cherished. She felt her lips move, and heard herself say, “Blue, Mistress,” though she didn’t remember hearing the question.    
  
She wasn’t sure how long she was like that, floating on a cloud of bliss as she was fawned over, but eventually she opened her eyes to her Mistress hovering over her. She smiled and that smile was her whole world.    
  
“Are you ready to come up, ‘Sami?” she asked, and Asami felt herself nod.    
  
“Yes Mistress,” she breathed. She closed her eyes again as she felt her Mistress’s lips on her forehead.    
  
“Asami Sato,” she said softly, “your mind is your own.”   
  
Asami’s mind cleared. She hadn’t even realized how fuzzy she had been before. She had just adjusted to her new reality. But as the pillars of thought, the mantras that had shaped her new headspace, faded away, she felt a wave of exhaustion hit her. She was so tired, how had she not noticed that before? Or had she noticed and just not cared?    
  
Part of her wanted to examine her own memories. She was curious how clearly she would be able to remember her sessions in her altered state of mind. But that was a small part of her and it was rapidly becoming less important as exhaustion claimed more and more of her consciousness.    
  
Korra, her Korra, the love of her life and the person she trusted most in the world, drew her into her arms. Asami was too tired to resist. She was almost too tired to bury her face in the hollow of her neck. Korra was stroking her hair, but slowly. She was tired too, Asami realized, but she was keeping herself awake to soothe her, to make her feel safe. She wanted to tell her how much she appreciated that, and how well cared for she felt. But talking seemed like a chore. 

And besides, if Korra was waiting on her to fall asleep, who was she to keep her waiting?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a heads up, it might be a bit longer of a wait until the next chapter. But this is not the end by any means! I just have a few other ideas kicking around in my brain I might need to mess with first.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	7. Release

Asami was still asleep when Korra woke the next morning. They were naked, and tangled pleasantly together beneath the sheets. For a long while, Korra just lay there, stroking Asami’s back with long, slow caresses, enjoying the feel of her, the smell of jasmine in her hair, and thinking fondly about the night before.   
  
It had been...not what Korra was expecting. Then again, she hadn’t had a lot of expectations. She felt in a lot of ways that she’d probably botched her new role as ‘Mistress.’ She hadn’t felt very confident, and if she was being honest with herself, she’d let Asami steer a fair amount of it. But, then again, she had seemed to enjoy herself. They’d both acknowledged that there would be a learning curve when they’d talked things through the day before, so it wasn’t like it particularly weighed on her mind. But Korra had never been the kind of person to accept being second best at anything. She always had to push herself harder, to be better than just ‘okay’ at whatever she put her mind to.   
  
She looked down at Asami. For all the beauty, poise and grace she held when she was awake, when she was out, she was _out_ . Her expression was slack, her mouth open slightly, a thin line of drool on her cheek. Korra smiled. She loved her so much. This was something she wanted, and so, Korra would commit herself to being the best Mistress she could be. When they were playing, of course.   
  
And besides, it wasn’t like Korra hadn’t enjoyed playing the part. The excitement of being so completely in control of Asami had been very real for her, and while she obviously hadn’t put as much thought into it as her girlfriend had, she was beginning to get ideas. She just had to work on applying some of them. It had been difficult for her to get out of her own head last night, and get past the slight sense of absurdity she felt ordering Asami around. They’d always had a fairly equal relationship. Sure, Korra liked to give and Asami was naturally more of a receiver, but she was hardly a pillow princess. About the kinkiest thing they’d done together was when Asami had asked to blindfold Korra. That and their shared interest in a little bit of pain here and there - pulled hair, small bites or light scratches - had really encompassed most of their experimentations together. Considering their cumulative lack of experience sleeping with women, it had seemed like more than enough to be getting along with at the time.

And now, here they were, diving head-first into the kind of thing that belonged in a racy romance novel. She thought about some of the things she’d said once she’d let herself get swept up in the moment, after bringing Asami out of her Oasis.   
  
_Worship me._

 _Clean me up._ _  
_ _  
_ She cringed inwardly. Had she really said those things? No, worse than that, she’d _demanded_ those things. And Asami had been happy to comply. She felt her heart race as she remembered the look in her eyes as she’d sucked on her fingers. At once utterly and completely focused, while also being astonishingly sexual. She had never seen such uninhibited, almost shameless lust in her as she had when she’d been cleaning Korra’s fingers of her arousal. Korra was pretty sure she’d be thinking about that look in Asami’s eyes for the rest of her life.   
  
And yet, was that something she should have asked for in the first place? Or wasn’t that the whole point in the first place? Being given control over her so that she _could_ make her do things that Asami might find embarrassing or be self-conscious about when not under the influence of her control.   
  
She’d only seemed self-conscious once - when she’d been asking Korra to call her a good girl. That, however, had been easy. It had been thrilling, even. That would probably be the easiest part of all of this, she reflected. She had no trouble praising her girlfriend. In fact, in her ordinary state of mind, she had a tendency to wave away compliments, being modest almost to a fault. Seeing her get swept up in praise had been incredibly hot, and equally satisfying, knowing that she could finally give her some kind of ego-boost that she would have to accept.   
  
The memories of the night before were not helping her go back to sleep. She felt wired, and part of her thought about waking Asami up in some fun way or another. But her girlfriend was still very deeply asleep, and she wanted to make sure she got enough rest. She wasn’t sure what kind of toll their sessions would take on her, but she’d already been mentally drained from their long day brainstorming and the prolonged use of the machine, so it was a safe bet that she was wiped out. That notion was reinforced as Korra extracted herself from under Asami and she didn’t so much as stir.   
  
Korra threw on some of her old earth kingdom clothes she’d picked up in her three-year absence from Republic City. They made for better workout gear than her heavy water tribe boots and insulated clothes most times. She left a note for Asami in case she woke up while she was out for a run, though she needn’t have bothered. Asami hadn’t woken by the time she returned, nor by the time she’d finished the rest of her workout. She slept through Korra’s shower, and she didn’t even roll over while Korra was getting dressed. It wasn’t until she was downstairs, brewing a pot of tea, that Asami made an appearance. She had thrown on a robe, belted loosely around her waist. She slid her arms around Korra and rested her chin on her shoulder.   
  
“Morning, love,” she said, stifling a yawn.   
  
“Good morning yourself,” Korra said, turning her head to kiss her lightly. “Tea?”   
  
Asami nodded sleepily but didn’t withdraw from Korra. She felt her lips press against the back of her neck pleasantly.   
  
“Sleep okay?” Korra asked. Asami only hummed against her in what she assumed was affirmation.   
  
“No bad dreams,” she said after a minute. “I can’t remember the last time that happened.”   
  
Korra raised her eyebrows, turning her head so that she could see Asami. “Really? That’s great!” Asami kissed her on the cheek.   
  
“I have you to thank for that,” she said. “You were so good to me yesterday.”   
  
Korra blushed. “Really? I didn’t feel like I knew what I was doing to be honest.”   
  
Asami shook her head. “No, not that part. I mean, well, yes, that part. Obviously. But what I meant was...you made me feel safe. After all this time. After all of the horrible nightmares and the guilt and everything, you made me feel okay again.”   
  
Korra felt a lump rising in her throat. “Asami,” she said.   
  
Asami kissed her neck again, then let Korra turn in her arms and kissed her properly, holding her close. She pressed her face into the hollow of her neck and just held her. She felt...relaxed in Korra’s arms. No stress. No tension.   
  
“I love you so much,” she said. Korra didn’t trust herself to speak, so she just ran her fingers through Asami’s raven hair and nodded. They stayed that way until the kettle whistled behind them. Asami let Korra steep the tea bags, then they both retired to the den without really making a conscious decision to do so.   
  
“You must have been really tired,” Korra said as they sat together on the comfortable two-seater sofa. The den was decorated in dark, warm colors, and decorated with soft textures. It was tastefully cluttered without feeling stuffy - interior decorating being apparently one of the many things her girlfriend was good at. Asami sat with her long legs in Korra’s lap, and she rubbed them contentedly as they sipped their tea.   
  
Asami blushed lightly. “Well, you wore me out last night,” she said. “Mentally and physically.”   
  
Korra smiled and looked at her tea. “I hope I did okay. I felt pretty nervous most of the time.”   
  
Asami smiled warmly at her. “You were amazing, don’t be hard on yourself.”   
  
Korra glanced at her, then back at her tea. “Even the parts...towards the end?”   
  
She felt a shiver go through Asami, and when she spoke, her voice was husky. “ _Especially_ those parts,” she said. Korra met her gaze. She was looking at her through half-lidded eyes. "I love it when you _demand_ things from me." 

Korra's face burned. "Even… even if the things I want are kind of, I don't know, embarrassing?" 

Asami cocked an eyebrow. "Korra, you beautiful, incredible woman. Last night, I referred to myself as your _slave_ . As a pet name. And somehow, that’s the least embarrassing thing I’ve revealed about myself in the last twenty-four hours.” She shook her head, stirring her tea slowly with her spoon. “Somehow, I don’t think you’re going to manage to top that.”   
  
Korra laughed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I guess. It’s just kind of new, that’s all. I’m probably overthinking things.”   
  
They sat like that a little while. Asami turned on the radio on the table next to her and they listened to the news as they sipped their tea. Korra usually didn’t have the patience for it - radio was something Asami listened to while she was working to keep abreast of current events. Korra preferred to be out on the streets, being a part of things. But today, the idea of leaving for any kind of Avatar duty seemed distinctly less appealing. She was happy to sit in the den with Asami, just enjoying her presence. There was a little bit of a charge in the air between them that Korra hadn’t felt so potently since their vacation to the spirit world, when all of their unexpressed attraction and feelings for each other had come to a head in sharing their first kiss. This...this felt like a landmark of a similar caliber, and she was enjoying soaking in the moment.   
  
The news ended and rolled into music, soft and pleasant. Asami set her empty teacup aside. She had been watching Korra for a while with an expression she couldn’t really read. She drew back one long leg and rubbed her foot against Korra’s thigh.   
  
“How did Tenzin teach you to meditate?” she said after a while.   
  
Korra was a little taken aback by the question. “What do you mean?” she asked.   
  
“Well, you said a long time ago that meditation wasn’t something that came easily to you. You would get bored easily, or you’d get caught up in your thoughts and not be able to focus. How did you get past that?”   
  
Korra pondered the question, finishing the last of her own drink. “I’m...not sure. I guess it took some practice and discipline. There were some techniques that helped. Focusing on my breathing, extending my awareness, things like that. It was really all about being in the moment.”   
  
Asami looked thoughtful, then an idea seemed to come to her. Korra gave her a questioning look, but she didn’t explain right away. “I want to try something,” she said. “You have to do as I say, but I think it will help your overthinking problem.”   
  
Korra gave her a wry smile. “I thought this was all about _you_ doing what _I_ say,” she said sarcastically. Asami giggled.   
  
“It will be. I think this will help. If you trust me.”   
  
“I’ll always trust you,” Korra said softly. Asami beamed at her.   
  
She slid her legs out of Korra’s lap and stood. She adjusted her so that she was in the middle of the little couch they had been sharing. The music was still on, but soft in the background, a soothing jazzy sound that filled the silence of the room. Asami crossed over to the window and drew the blinds, only letting a little filtered sunlight into the room.   
  
“Are you comfortable?” Asami asked. Korra nodded.   
  
Asami stood over her. She was stunning, just under six feet of pure, feminine beauty. She bent slightly at the waist and traced her fingers over Korra’s cheek. “Okay now, close your eyes, alright? And don’t open them until I say.”   
  
Korra had no idea where she was going with this, but she did as she was told, letting her eyes slide closed.   
  
“Good. Now focus on your breathing, like you would when you’re meditating. Can you do that for me?”   
  
Korra felt like speaking would break some kind of spell, so she just nodded instead. She usually sat in lotus position while meditating, but she stayed the way she was, placing her hands in her lap and concentrating on the flow of air through her body.   
  
Asami’s voice was soft and sweet as she spoke. “That’s good, just like that. Now extend your senses, like you said before. Be here in the moment. Don’t think, just tell me what you sense. What you hear, and smell, and _feel_ ”   
  
It was surprisingly easy to do as Asami asked. Korra felt her awareness grow. The music didn’t get louder, but she began to pick out each instrument as it weaved its way through the others. “I hear a saxophone,” she heard herself say, and to her surprise, there was a dreamlike quality to her own voice, not unlike the way Asami had sounded last night. “A bass,” she continued, picking through instruments on the radio. A keyboard, drums, the cymbals. Once she had dissected the music, she went on to the rest of her surroundings.   
  
“I feel leather on my skin,” she said. The air is comfortable, cool without being cold. I can hear your breathing. I can smell jasmine.”   
  
The scent got stronger and she felt something brush her. Korra smiled. “I can feel your hair on my face. Your...hand on my shoulder.” Asami slid into her lap, and Korra’s hands moved instinctually to grab her waist. Her breath caught at what she felt there.   
  
“Don’t stop,” Asami said, and her voice was gentle, yet insistent. Korra continued without thinking.   
  
“I feel your skin beneath my hands.” She’d shed her robe, and apparently she was naked beneath it. “I feel your breath on my ear. I feel...Asami…”   
  
“Keep going,” she said so softly.   
  
“I feel your arms around my neck,” Korra said, eyes still closed. “I feel your breasts against mine. I feel your,” she paused, gasping, “lips on my neck! Asami, I feel you, I feel you…”   
  
Her hands went to Korra’s and began to move them over her skin. It didn’t take much encouragement. Korra began to explore Asami’s body. She loved touching her. She wanted to memorize every curve, every dimple in her skin, every tiny imperfection. She wanted to touch Asami until she could sculpt her from memory, blindfolded. She slid her hands up the curve of her hips. “I feel your skin, so smooth, so soft,” she said, an edge of desperation in her voice as Asami began to kiss her collar. “I feel your lips and your breath and I smell you, and I can hear your breathing.”   
  
Asami trailed kisses back to Korra’s ear, pressing herself completely against her, Korra’s hands digging into the muscles of her back, gripping her tightly.   
  
“Don’t think,” she whispered into Korra’s ear. “Just tell me what you want.”   
  
Korra’s fingers dug in a little harder. “Want you,” she gasped. She felt Asami tug her earlobe with her teeth and she let out a groan. If she was in any state to think clearly, she’d realize that she’d taught Asami that just the night before.   
  
“I’m already yours. Tell me how…”   
  
Korra’s hands slid down and grabbed her ass, squeezing it. “Rough,” she said, the voice barely a whisper.   
  
Asami purred into her ear and Korra had _not_ been ready for how sexy that was. She arched her hips up, aching for friction. Aching for _Asami_ . She was everything in Korra’s world, she consumed her senses. Asami was everything and she wanted her. She _wanted_ her.   
  
“You want me rough? How rough?”   
  
Asami lifted her hips as Korra lifted hers, denying her, moving with her. She dug her fingers into her waist, trying to hold her in place but Asami’s position gave her much more leverage than Korra had beneath her and it wasn’t enough to hold her still.   
  
She answered without thinking, the words tumbling from her lips before she could feel anything other than the molten heat inside of her Asami’s careful teasing was stoking vigorously. “Pull your hair...kiss you, bite you...spank you…”   
  
Asami moaned, a deep, throaty sound that made Korra melt. “You want to make me behave, don’t you Korra?”   
  
She just nodded, still trying to hold Asami against her, trying to find some kind of friction to keep her from going crazy.   
  
“You want to make me _obey_ , don’t you?”   
  
Another nod, this time she heard herself whimpering.   
  
“You want to punish the naughty, teasing slave who is being _so_ cruel to her MIstress...don’t you?”   
  
Korra gasped as Asami’s tongue slid into her ear, just for a moment, wet and hot and strange and _wonderful_ all at once.   
  
“Yes!” she cried out as she withdrew.   
  
Asami purred again. “Then take me,” she said in her deep, sultry voice. “Make me yours...open your eyes love…”   
  
Korra did, and stared straight into Asami’s. Her pupils were dark, her smile sinfully seductive as she looked at her through her long, dark lashes. Korra didn’t think. She didn’t need to. She just _wanted_ .   
  
“Will you be mine?” She sounded out of breath.   
  
Asami’s eyes slid closed and she hummed as a shiver ran through her whole body. “I’m yours,” she said. “Mind, body and soul.”   
  
Korra could hear her heartbeat thundering in her ears. The self-doubts began to return as the reality of the situation came back to her. Asami was vulnerable, Asami was under her control. She trusted her, she…   
  
She was looking at her. Like last night, there was a distance to her gaze, her eyes slightly unfocused, her movements slower, smoother somehow. But she was still Asami, deep inside of her, and it was that part of her that was giving her a teasing smile.   
  
“You’re thinking, Mistress,” she purred. Korra opened her mouth to speak, but Asami put a finger on her lips. “Close your eyes again,” she said, then, as if giving her a direct order made her uncomfortable, she added, “please?”   
  
Korra took a deep breath and did so, letting them slide closed once again.   
  
“Mistress,” she said, and her voice was in Korra’s ear again, “don’t command me yet, please. Just feel me. Just like before. Try not to think, please Mistress?” Korra swallowed. She was supposed to be responsible. She was supposed to keep Asami safe, always.   
  
_But this is what she wants_ , a part of her thought. _She wants you to use her. To take her._   
  
She felt Asami kiss her, but it was so gentle, so light, that before Korra could kiss her back, she was gone. She kissed her again, this time on her neck. It was hardly a touch, but Korra groaned as more and more feather-light kisses were delicately placed all over her neck and face and lips. Her breathing was ragged. She touched Asami, gripping her, holding her, and each squeeze drew soft moans of delight from her beautiful girlfriend, making her desire her more and more. But whenever she tried to capture her lips or hold her in one place so that she would kiss her _more_ dammit, she danced away from her.   
  
She was working her up. Winding her up. That was why she hadn’t wanted Korra to command her. She could stop this with a single word, take what she wanted from her. She opened her mouth to do just that and Asami’s lips found hers in a searing kiss, deep and insistent, her tongue slipping past her lips and tangling with Korra’s, keeping her from speaking the command that would have made her stop teasing her. Heat burst in Korra’s chest and she wasn’t going to take it, couldn’t stand being teased and denied and taunted. She reached up and grabbed a fistfull of Asami’s hair and pulled her back, hard, forcing their lips to part.   
  
Asami hissed in pain, but Korra’s eyes were still shut as she said, “Asami, freeze!”   
  
Asami stopped moving. Korra opened her eyes. Her girlfriend’s expression was wide-eyed with shock, her body rigid, held almost unnaturally still above her. She wouldn’t be able to hold it long, not comfortably.   
  
“Stand up,” she said, and she was surprised at the ringing authority in her own voice. She saw Asami’s eyes widen slightly, but she obeyed, getting to her feet and standing in front of Korra. She was breathing hard. They both were. Something hot pulsed through Korra’s veins as she looked at Asami, so helpless, so completely at her mercy. She stood herself, walking around her.   
  
“Bend over,” she said, surprising herself with the firm authority she heard in her voice. Asami whimpered and did as she was told, bending at the waist, placing her hands on the couch to hold herself up. Korra adjusted her, spreading her legs a little so that she was well grounded. Then she slid her hand over her incredible ass, reveling in the softness of her pale skin.   
  
“What color are you?” Korra asked.   
  
“Blue, MIstress.” Asami’s voice was small. Timid maybe? Nervous? But excited at the same time. Korra was too, she wouldn’t have been surprised if Asami could hear her heart beating.   
  
“You will tell me the minute you turn orange,” Korra said, then after a moment’s consideration, she added, “All the way orange, not partially.” She heard a breathy ‘Yes Mistress’ in response.   
  
Then she lifted her hand and brought it down _hard_ against Asami’s right cheek.   
  
Asami let out a yelp as Korra hit her. Her body tensed, muscles flexing as Korra held her hand against her now-hot skin. She felt a surge of something deep and powerful inside of her. She had _enjoyed_ that. She felt powerful in a way that she hadn’t felt before. This wasn’t the same kind of power she felt practicing her bending. It wasn’t the same power she felt flowing through her in the Avatar state. This was something deeper, more intimate. It was a gift given, the complete trust of the person she loved most. It was hers. _Asami_ was hers.   
  
Korra rubbed the red mark she’d made gently, being sure to soothe her before hitting her again on the other cheek. Another cry of pain, followed by a soft whimper as Korra soothed her once more. Her whole body felt warm, and she had a hard time remembering the last time she was this turned on.   
  
And yet, something wasn’t quite right. It took Korra a minute to figure it out. She spanked her girlfriend again, the smack of skin on skin reverberating around the room as she watched her flinch and cry out sharply. Korra ran her hands down the outside of her thighs and then back up her inner thigh, tracing her lower lips as she did. They were wet with arousal, but not as much as she had been the night before. Korra considered that. She could be doing more to make Asami enjoy this. She was hers to use, but she wanted to make sure Asami felt just as good in her position as Korra did in her own. An idea occurred to her. They’d been very specific when they’d written the mantras that defined this mindset for her.   
  
_I think as she wishes me to think_ .   
  
She could be making this better for Asami, and play with a part of her she hadn’t quite explored before. Until now, all of her commands had fallen under a different mantra. _I act as she commands me to act_ . She had been afraid to mess too much with Asami’s mind, but all it would take would be the right combination of words. She hesitated for just a moment.   
  
_Live in the moment._   
  
“Asami, you love being punished,” Korra heard herself say in that same ringing, authoritative tone. “You know you’ve earned it, teasing your Mistress like you were. You want this.”   
  
She watched Asami’s whole body shudder as she processed what Korra had said. “Yes Mistress,” she said after a moment, her voice thick with lust. “I was a teasing slut, Mistress, I deserve to be punished. Punish your slave, make me behave, please Mistress…”   
  
Korra hadn’t been expecting _that_ response, but it made something inside of her roar with triumphant pleasure, and without thinking, she spanked her again, her hand falling in the same place it had the first time. This time, Asami’s cry of pain was mixed with a throaty moan of pleasure as she arched her back, seemingly trying to press her ass into Korra’s hand.   
  
An impulse seized Korra and she reached forward, grabbing a fistful of Asami’s raven hair and pulling her head back. She gritted her teeth, but only whimpered as Korra held her in place. “Thank me for giving you the punishment you deserve,” she said softly and she heard Asami gasp.   
  
“Thank you Mistress!” she said and Korra let her hair go, letting her collapse into the couch cushions once again. Her knees were growing weak, Korra could see, but she wasn’t ready to let her move yet. She spanked her again, the sharp _smack_ sounding sweet to Korra’s ears.   
  
“Thank you Mistress!” Asami said again, making Korra so unbelievably hot. How had she never done this before? It was exhilarating. She smacked her again. And again. Each time Asami thanked her. Each time was its own little high. She only stopped when she could barely hear Asami’s whispered ‘thank you’s. Her ass was scarlet, and as Korra ran her fingers over the skin, it felt like it was radiating heat. Asami’s knees were shaking, and she could see her inner thighs were slick, wetness leaking from her sex. Korra herself was breathing like she’d just run all the way across Republic City.   
  
“What color are you?” she asked, tucking Asami’s sweat-drenched hair behind her ear so that she could see her face.   
  
“Blue...little orange...Mistress...thank you...thank you Mistress…” Her eyes were glazed, unfocused. Korra could see a thin line of drool from her lips to the couch. She looked so…

Helpless.  
  
“Get on your knees,” Korra said and Asami collapsed to the floor with a groan of what might have been gratitude, her legs giving out beneath her. Korra stepped out of her shoes and slid her pants and underwear off. She was wet, she could smell her own arousal as she stood up straight. With a command, she straightened up Asami so that she could slide onto the couch in front of her.   
  
“Have you had enough?” Korra asked her.   
  
Asami nodded weakly. “Yes Mistress, please Mistress, use your slave, use me, please Mistress…”   
  
“I suppose you’ve earned it,” Korra said, cupping Asami’s cheek. She pressed her face into her hand, so desperate to be touched. “I want you to worship me,” Korra said, this time feeling none of the self-consciousness that she had last night. Asami bent obediently, to do as her MIstress commanded, but Korra stopped her.   
  
“Not there,” she said, suddenly breathless with desire. “Not yet. Start lower. At my feet. Work your way up.” Her cheeks flushed red, but she kept herself in the moment. Asami was _hers_ . She wouldn’t judge her for this. Not right now, at least.   
  
Understanding dawned on Asami as she looked up at her. “Yes Mistress,” she said and slid back a little ways so that she could bend over and press her lips to the top of Korra’s foot, prostrated in front of her in a mockery of a bow, her ass in the air, still glowing red from Korra’s attentions earlier. Korra let her eyes slide closed as she felt Asami’s lips on her skin. She felt Asami lift her foot from the floor and her lips closed around her big toe, sucking on it the same way she’d sucked her fingers the night before. It felt just as good now as it had then - better, perhaps, by the slight feeling of taboo thrill she felt inside of her. This wasn’t something she’d ever ask Asami to do, wasn’t something she would even consider bringing up. But it was something she could _make_ Asami do, because she was _hers_ . It gave her that same thrilling sense of power that she’d felt before.   
  
She moaned as Asami sucked each of her toes individually, then let them slide from her lips as she dragged her tongue from heel to toe, Korra flexing her feet and groaning at the sensation. Asami had a damn gift with her tongue, and this was no exception. She was disappointed when she felt her put her foot down, and she opened her eyes to see what was wrong. Her disappointment vanished as she shifted her attention to her other foot, just as thoroughly as before. Korra found herself gripping the leather couch cushion hard, her breathing ragged as she watched Asami obey her command with single-minded purpose, no hint of shame or humiliation in her bearing at all.   
  
And Korra wanted more. 

Asami’s lips traveled up to her ankles, lips hot against her skin. Korra writhed as she watched, fascinated with the show she was receiving. But she knew a way to make it better. “Touch yourself,” she ordered. “But don’t cum until I do, do you understand me?”  
  
Asami paused only long enough to mutter, “Yes Mistress,” against her skin before one hand traveled between her legs. Korra could feel her moan, even if she couldn’t quite make out exactly what her fingers were doing. She watched her with rapt attention as she kissed and licked and sucked all the way up Korra’s calf. Her eyes fluttered as she indulged in just how damn _good_ Asami’s mouth felt on her. Occasionally, she would switch to her other leg, making sure she was equal in her efforts and attention.   
  
As she worshiped Korra, her own pleasure was becoming more and more apparent. Her face was flushed, her eyes barely focused. She was breathing so heavily that Korra worried she would pass out. Groans escaped her without warning, and occasionally her body would tense up and an expression not unlike intense concentration or focus would pass over her. Then she’d go back to pleasuring herself, the sound of her own fingers against the wetness of her sex utterly delightful to Korra.   
  
She shifted to the edge of the couch as Asami’s lips reached her inner thighs. She could tell she was having a hard time keeping herself on edge. Her body seemed to be moving of its own accord, her movements slow and sluggish, but perfectly obedient as she lay a trail of kisses along Korra’s muscular thigh towards her own sex. Korra groaned as her tongue laved attention all around her lower lips, worshipping just as her Mistress desired. It was almost too much for Korra, until she felt Asami kiss her center. Her kiss was deep and desperate, her tongue slipping out to tease Korra’s inner lips, drawing a deep moan from Korra that was echoed by Asami.   
  
“My good girl,” Korra heard herself say, and she felt Asami inhale sharply. Her movement between her legs increased and she _pressed_ herself against Korra, her tongue so deep inside of her she didn’t even know how it was _possible_ . She felt her moaning for her, for her Mistress, and it just felt so _fucking_ good to be treated like a goddess that for a moment she almost believed she was one.   
  
“Asami, oh you’re so good, so - _MMmmm_ \- good to me,” Korra moaned. “Such a good...good slave,” she said, remembering the influence the word had over Asami’s imagination. She felt Asami tense up as she said it, her body shaking, a moan ripping free from her before she resumed, her lips and tongue and mouth moving with _desperate_ need, her fingers a blur between her legs. Korra could _hear_ how wet she was as her fingers slid in and out of her at an indecent pace.   
  
“That’s right,” Korra said. “My slave...good...obedient...oh Asami...make me cum...yes....yes…” She didn’t know where she was, she just knew that Asami, her Asami, her _slave_ , was taking her higher and higher than she’d ever been. She grabbed her hair and _pressed_ her closer, deeper, needing more and more and more and never wanting it to stop.   
  
“Asami! Asami, yes, my good girl, my good...obedient...Asami...ASAMI!!” Korra screamed and wrapped her legs around Asami’s head as her orgasm crashed over her. She arched her back off the couch, one hand still in Asami’s hair as the other gripped the cushion beneath her. Between her legs, she could _feel_ Asami moaning, she could see her body convulsing as her own orgasm ripped through her as well. Korra’s world was white-hot intensity, and still Asami didn’t stop. She didn’t stop, her tongue and mouth and lips sucking and _penetrating_ and spirits, Korra was going to cum again, she couldn’t stop herself from flying straight over the edge, screaming Asami’s name as her muscles flexed and her body went rigid with searing pleasure.   
  
And _still_ Asami didn’t stop. She hadn’t been ordered to stop, Korra realized dimly - she’d been ordered to worship. Korra’s legs were too exhausted to stay wrapped around Asami’s head, so they fell over her shoulders instead, her body shaking and shivering as Asami’s lips seemed to be attached to her lower ones. They only withdrew so that she could suck Korra’s clit, dragging her into a third orgasm, each one feeding into Asami’s own pleasure, tying them together in a beautiful, messy, endless cycle. Korra was light headed, the pleasure overwhelming her senses as her obedient slave worshipped and came with her over and over.   
  
Korra didn’t know if it was after her fourth or fifth such orgasm that she managed to say, “stop,” loudly enough to be heard. Asami stopped, but her lips didn’t leave where they were pressed against her core. Korra felt like she was boneless, her muscles limp and exhausted and very nearly useless. It took a great deal of effort to slide her legs free of Asami’s shoulders, and she sat there, slumped against the back of the couch, trying desperately to regain her breath.   
  
After a minute, she sat up straighter, making Asami do the same. It was only at that point that Korra realized she was still masturbating, her eyes empty, staring ahead without seeing, her whole body spasming and convulsing periodically.   
  
“‘Sami! You can stop. Stop, love, it’s okay.” She did as she was told, but lucidity didn’t return to her gaze. Korra put a hand under her chin and lifted her green eyes to Korra’s own blue ones. Her face was a mess, soaked with Korra’s arousal. Even still, she kissed her girlfriend tenderly on the lips before drawing back ever so slightly.   
  
“Asami Sato,” she said carefully, “your mind is your own.”   
  
For a moment, Korra worried she hadn’t heard her. Then, Asami took a deep, shuddering breath, her eyes blinking rapidly a few times. She looked around her, finding Korra. Her body shook slightly and Korra slid from the couch and knelt beside her, holding her tightly.   
  
“It’s okay, it’s okay, I’ve got you.”   
  
That seemed to calm her down, and she relaxed into Korra’s arms. “That’s right ‘Sami, just breathe, okay?”   
  
She did, and Korra waited until her breathing had evened out. It took her a few minutes, but Korra had all the patience in the world at the moment. Finally, Asami looked up at her. She gave her a small smile and moved to sit up, but winced as she did, hissing in discomfort.   
  
“What’s wrong?” Korra asked, alarmed.   
  
Asami flushed. “I’m okay, I’m alright. I’m just...a little sore, is all.”   
  
It was Korra’s turn to blush. “Oh, right, I’m sorry. Dammit, I should have prepared better for this, I should have-”   
  
Asami kissed her lightly, interrupting her self-blame. “I pushed for this,” she reminded her, gently. “I don’t mind a little pain.”   
  
Korra sighed. “I’m still supposed to take care of you. Besides, it’s an easy fix. Give me a minute, okay?” She leaned Asami up against the couch and then rose, her knees a little shaky. It took her a few steps before she was steady on her feet, then she hurried up to the bathroom on the second floor. Their bathroom had a large tub set into the floor in addition to the shower in the opposite corner. It was the tub that Korra wanted. She twisted the knobs, feeling the water until it was warm. She plugged the tub and let it fill, adding a few of Asami’s preferred salts and scented jasmine soaps to the water before leaving it.   
  
Asami was on her knees, apparently having a hard time finding a comfortable position to be in. It wasn’t hard to tell why. Korra could see bruises beginning to darken where she’d hit her. She’d been a lot rougher than she’d thought. Trying to shove down the feeling of guilt inside of her, she lifted Asami into her arms, carrying her up the stairs to the now half-full bath. Gently, she lowered her into it. She made a small noise of discomfort when she hit the bottom, but Korra knew it would be better in a moment.   
  
She stripped out of her top and carefully unwound her breasts before following Asami into the tub. Once she was in, she drew Asami into her lap, letting her rest her bruised body against Korra rather than the hard bottom of the tub. This seemed to help, because Asami relaxed against her chest, her breathing growing more even.   
  
“Thank you,” Asami said softly, but Korra wasn’t done yet. With Asami settled, she began to move her hand through the water, feeling it move and swirl at her command. She took a deep breath and felt for Asami’s energy in the pool of water. It began to glow as she sensed her, sensed her body in all the places she was submerged. Korra moved her hands back and forth beneath the foaming, scented surface of the tub and the blue light passed over Asami’s body, then back again, Korra’s energy mingling with hers, aiding and accelerating her body’s natural healing process.   
  
“Oh!” Korra heard Asami say, followed by a soft hum as the healing began to work. She relaxed more completely, the tension still held in her legs easing as she nestled into Korra’s chest.   
  
“Does that feel okay?” Korra asked. Asami nodded.   
  
“Wonderful,” she said. “I never would have thought of using Waterbending for aftercare.” She giggled softly which made Korra laugh.   
  
“Yeah, probably not what Katara had in mind when she taught me,” she admitted. She let the blue light pass over Asami’s body a few more times before letting the water grow still. She touched her, tentatively, under the water. “Better?”   
  
“Much,” Asami said, kissing her chest as thanks. They sat that way, the warm water sending wisps of vapor into the air, the smell of jasmine a pleasant backdrop as Korra cradled Asami in her arms. She was almost convinced she’d drifted off, when she heard her speak up.   
  
“Did you enjoy yourself?” she asked, a note of mischievous amusement in her tone. Korra flushed.   
  
“Yeah,” she admitted. “Sorry if I got, you know, a little carried away.”   
  
Asami opened her eyes halfway, lifting her head so that she could see Korra. “You took what you wanted,” she said. “I loved every second of it.”   
  
Despite everything, Korra felt her heartbeat quicken at the look in Asami’s eyes. “You did?”   
  
Asami nodded. “That’s exactly what I want to feel. I _want_ to be used. I have my safeword, I can always tell you if it goes too far. But I want you to take _everything_ you want from me when I’m like that.” She closed her eyes again and rested her head against Korra’s chest. “I trust you. I want to be yours, whatever that means.”   
  
Korra didn’t know what to say to that. She felt like she should say _something_ , but she’d never been very good with words. So she held her tight, trying to convey just how much she appreciated Asami’s trust. She wanted her to know that she would never, could never, take the gifts she gave her for granted. She kissed the top of her head, and Asami nuzzled against her chest. “I really love you,” she said softly. It didn’t feel adequate, but she saw Asami smile anyway.   
  
“I love you too,” she said.   
  
They sat like that a while. Korra wasn’t bothering to try and keep track of time. It didn’t seem to matter at the moment. She traced long, lazy paths across Asami’s body with her fingertips, letting them float together, wanting Asami to know that she was safe, and loved no matter what Korra did to her as her “Mistress.”   
  
They must have both dozed off, because at some point, Korra became aware that the water had cooled. Korra kissed Asami and helped her out of the tub, grabbing towels for the both of them to dry off with. Asami had wrapped herself in a towel and was drying the ends of her hair with another when she caught Korra’s gaze in the mirror. She smirked slightly.   
  
“So…” she said, and Korra didn’t like the mirth that was playing in her eyes. “You like when I kiss your feet, hm?”   
  
Korra turned scarlet. “I, uh, well, um, the thing is, it’s, uh-”   
  
Asami’s laugh interrupted her and she found herself laughing along with her. It felt good. The momentary embarrassment that had flared in her suddenly didn’t seem important when the two of them were laughing about it. “Oh shut up,” she said, tossing a hand towel at Asami who dodged it expertly.   
  
“What? I think it’s kinda hot,” Asami teased, dancing away from Korra as she made to grab her around the waist. “Was I a good foot slave, Mistress?” she asked, in a mockingly seductive voice, raising her eyebrows suggestively.   
  
“You are the worst!” Korra said, grinning from ear to ear. Asami darted into the hall and Korra took off after her. She caught up to her in the bedroom, finally succeeding in grabbing her and lifting her into the air, pulling her down onto their bed. Asami ended up on top, and she squirmed around in Korra’s arms, their towels tangled in disarray around them. She kissed Korra and Korra kissed her back, holding her tightly. They broke apart, giggling and Asami’s attempt to break free turned into a wrestling match as the two teased and taunted each other.   
  
Asami won the match, pinning Korra beneath her, their towels utterly discarded. She’d let her win, and Asami seemed to know that. She kissed her again in victory, however, claiming Korra’s lips as her prize. She was happy to have lost. 

It felt surreal to Korra that only a few days ago, she’d felt like she was losing her. Only a few days ago she’d been scared that she’d broken Asami’s trust beyond repair. And now? Well, now she felt like nothing could ever come between them.  
  
She loved her so much.  
  
Nobody had told her all of the ways there were to love somebody. They’d never told her that love could be sweet and sharp. They’d never told her it could be playful and intense, kinky and romantic, much less that she could feel all of those things in the same day. She’d never known. But as Asami settled on top of her, playing with her short hair, her eyes bright and beautiful, framed in the afternoon sunlight, Korra decided she was happier to have made the discovery herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody! Thanks so much for reading. As you may have noticed, the fic is now listed as “complete.” That does not mean I’m done writing this piece - quite the opposite! But it does mean that I consider chapters one through seven to be a complete story from start to finish. The following chapters will be more scene-focused, with the girls exploring their shared kinks and more slice-of-life romance stuff. I’m not totally ruling out that there will be more emotional drama between the two of them down the line - I am writing this a little off-the-cuff after all - but we’ll see how it turns out. I’m excited to keep exploring this dynamic with the two of them, as this piece has been a lot of fun for me personally to write.
> 
> Now for a little self promotion: If you guys enjoy my writing, I have a new piece I’m working on that you can check out on my profile titled: _All That You Are (Is All We’ll Ever Need)_. It’s a Modern AU Crossover piece featuring Korrasami, Bumbleby from RWBY and Catradora from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Like this story, there’s a strong focus on the emotional side of relationships, overcoming past trauma, as well as the interplay of kink and romance.
> 
> Oh, and the endgame is romantic polyamory between all three couples, with Korrasami and Bumbleby in an established relationship at the beginning. So if any of that sounds interesting, please check it out! There will be a lot of similarly niche kinks explored in the later chapters of that piece, including more focus on erotic hypnosis.
> 
> And speaking of that, I do have some ideas for other mind control-focused pieces that I intend to work on in the future for this and other fandoms, so keep an eye out for those.
> 
> Thanks again for everybody’s positive feedback and support! Stay tuned!


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